Never Say Never: The Austere Academy
by TheWriter51
Summary: Jane Rumary has been taken into the clutches of Count Olaf and taken away from Klaus and his siblings. Could anything be worse? But Jane soon encounters an old enemy, a dangerous secret, and a mysterious man...KBxOC
1. Count Olaf's Home

Hey everyone!

I've finally uploaded the third part of my story! Follows the Austere Academy through Jane Rumary's eyes!

**Summary: Jane ****has been taken into the clutches of Count Olaf after being expelled from the New York boarding school. She suffers with the heartbreak of losing her closest and only real friends, the Baudelaire's, especially Klaus, who Jane recently discovered shared her feelings. The only problem is...Jane never got the chance to say it back. **With all the grueling chores and Jane's destiny, could anything be worse? But who is the mysterious looking man, wandering about town? Why does he look so familiar? How will she face her old** enemy who only brings back her rough past and threatens to expose a dark secret.**

ENJOY! R&R Please!

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><p><strong>The Austere Academy<strong>

**_Chapter One:_**

The sunlight streaming through the window woke me from my sleep. It was unfortunate that there were no curtains in this room so it was more of a nuisance than anything else. I was just lucky it was winter so the sky was dark for most of the morning. It wasn't as if I had much sleep anyways, I'd been awake for most of the night, tossing and turning. I kept thinking about the Baudelaire's and how much I missed them. This place wouldn't be half as bad if they were here with me. And well, I also missed Klaus for more than just the simple reason that he was better company. I'd been up most of the night crying because I knew that I had broken his heart when I allowed myself to be taken into Olaf's clutches and keeping it hidden until the last minute. And the times when I did manage to fall asleep, all I would see was Klaus under my lids and the dream where I escaped Olaf's car after he turned the corner, but no matter how quickly I ran, I never made it around the corner to Klaus. I was disappointed that I never got the chance to tell him how I felt.

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts before more tears could come to my eyes. I sat up in the bed, checking my arms and legs to see if I had gotten any bug bites in the night. A small, red bump on my wrist confirmed that I was right.

I got out of the bed and walked over to the window. It was dirty, obscuring my vision but I could still make out the small street Olaf's house was on. It was the same house I saw on my first visit here and the inside of his house was just as bad as the outside. It was covered in filth and crawling with rats and insects. I failed to understand why anyone, no matter how cruel they were, would want a home this repulsive. I'd already found a rat hole in the wall of my room last night. I had rat paranoia and I could barely stand the creatures. I found a practical use for the random pile of rocks that Count Olaf had explained were for my entertainment. Clearly, he wasn't familiar with the fact that it was the 21st Century and there were far better things for entertainment than rocks. So I decided to make a purpose for them and placed them in front of the rat hole, blocking it so none could get in.

I tried to pry open the window, hoping I could air out the room, but it was stuck. I would need to find some grease eventually to try and loosen it.

"Orphan!" Count Olaf's voice called.

I crossed the room and opened the bedroom door. I found Olaf downstairs in the kitchen. A bowl of oatmeal sat on the table, clearly for me.

"Yes," I asked, quietly, glancing nervously at one of the eye paintings hung on the wall behind me.

"Now, seeing as you're new to this," Count Olaf started, pushing the bowl of oatmeal closer as a gesture for me to sit down. I did so hesitantly, brushing any specs of dirt off of the chair beforehand. "I'd like to go over a few simple rules that should be closely followed while you're living here."

I nodded.

"For now on, I'll have you address me as your father," Count Olaf said, "And as your father, you are expected to follow my every command."

"I'm not going to follow every command," I argued, "I'm not a robot."

Count Olaf narrowed his eyes but surprisingly didn't seem too upset.

"But you are my daughter," he said, "and it is my job to make sure you stay _safe_." He emphasized the word 'safe'.

"By making me do chores?" I said.

"No," Count Olaf said, "the chores are mainly just to teach you good discipline. Now, the most important rule is to never, ever enter my tower," He warned, looking very serious, "it is forbidden to you and won't be tolerated under any circumstances. That leads me to my next rule, you will remain mostly in your room or in some parts of the house depending on the chores I assign you. I'll give you chores everyday and I expect every one of them to be done by the end of the day or you can spend the night doing them. The next rule is that you are not permitted to leave this property unless my assigned chores require you to. Don't try anything because the town is constantly populated with my associates who won't hesitate to let me know if you cause any trouble. And when you are in town, you are not to speak to anyone or tell them who you or I are because I will find out and it won't be good for you. I may not be able to kill you because you've still got that fortune but that doesn't mean you can get away with anything. Now, is that clear for you?"

I nodded.

"Excellent," Count Olaf said, "now I must be going."

He left the kitchen and I heard his footsteps fade as he traipsed up the creaky, wooden stairs to his tower. I barely needed Count Olaf's rules, the Baudelaire's told me about the tower and all of the chores already.

I took a couple of cautious bites of oatmeal before I lost my appetite and found the chore list Count Olaf put on the counter. The list was taller than I was and it seemed strange that he thought a ten-year-old girl could do so many grueling chores in one day. I got to work right away with washing the floor. There wasn't much to wash it with, though, because there wasn't any soap. So I just mopped the floor with water. I didn't think it would be that hard to do the chores, obviously Count Olaf would be too lazy to notice whether it was clean or not because it was always so dirty. One mop down of the floor would not solve this problem.

The two white faced women wandered into the front room from the living room. They walked by without caring that I was cleaning the floor. The two white-faced women were the only associates that I had been fortunate enough to not meet beforehand. They hated me just like the rest of them. Though, I knew the bald man hated me the most because he would shoot glares at me and tried to trip me yesterday. He was probably still mad at me for what I did to him at Lucky Smell's Lumber mill. The bald man crossed the room after the white-faced women. He stopped a few times to spit on the floor, I noticed he was chewing tobacco which made it even worse. When he reached me he shoved me so I fell and knocked over the bucket, dirty water splashed all over me.

They laughed mockingly as they headed up the stairs.

I was reminded suddenly of my boarding school in Canada. Everyday during recess since I turned six, I was handed an apron and gloves and was directed to clean certain parts of the school. I would clean the cafeteria, the bathrooms, and a few classrooms; which included scraping gum from under the desks and clapping the chalk erasers together. Carmelita and her friends would purposely chew gum so they could stick it under their desks, knowing I'd have to scrape it off later.

Every one of those times, I'd feel so angry. I'd feel resentful because I was the only one who couldn't enjoy a nice recess or lunch because I was stuck inside, cleaning up after everyone else. But I didn't have a choice. According to the school, it was my way of payment since no one was around to pay the annual fee and wouldn't be able to participate in any of the plays. If I didn't, I'd be sent to possibly military camp or to a foster home. But just like at that school, I grew slightly angry that after everything, I was back to being treated like a maid. An angry tear slid down my cheek as I cleaned the living room rug.

Count Olaf only had one of those tiny vacuums that didn't do much so I ended up having to use a combination of the dustpan and the vacuum. I thought about Klaus and wondered what he was doing right now. He was probably reading one of his many great books and I wished I could be with him. The thought of listening to a story was appealing and I didn't realize until now, how much I missed it. I couldn't read much here as Count Olaf had nothing that looked even close to a book in his house. And even if I did find a good book to read, it wouldn't be the same without Klaus to explain what all the big words meant.

I sighed and kept working. A small part of me wondered for how long this would go on? Would I really be stuck in Count Olaf's clutches for eight years doing awful chores everyday?

'No,' I thought, determinedly. I shook my head to myself. I wouldn't let that happen. I'd find a way to escape no matter how long it took to do it. And then maybe when I was free, I would seek out the Baudelaire's and I could finally have the peaceful life I'd spent years scrubbing filthy sinks, floors, and scraping gum-covered desks for.

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><p>Thanks for reading! R&amp;R!<p>

I'll update soon! :)


	2. The Mysterious Man

Here's a new chapter! ENJOYY!

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><p><strong>Chapter Two: The Mysterious Man<strong>

One of my chores, the following day, consisted of picking up a package at the post office in town. The list warned me that if I dared open the box, it wouldn't be good. The man who looked like either a man or a woman was supposed to take me, just in case.

The reason why Count Olaf didn't completely forbid me from going into town at all was because, although there was news reported that an orphan had been kidnapped, the article in the Daily Punctilio had so many flaws it was surprising. They got my name wrong and somehow got Janelle from Jane and Robertson from Rumary. They didn't include a photo of me either and most of the description provided was horribly incorrect too. It said I was 4. 6 feet tall when I was actually 4.9 feet tall, they said I had red hair, and dark blue eyes. The only reason I knew it was my news article was because they interviewed Mr. Lance, the school's principal, who was the person that gave them the description.

Olaf's associate waited outside as I went into the post office to retrieve the package. The doors to the post office swung open as I was about to leave and I collided with someone who clearly hadn't been paying attention. I bumped into him and dropped the package.

"Oh, I'm sorry," the man said. "I didn't see you there." He bent down to pick it up.

"I-it's okay," I said, looking up at him with squinty eyes. The man towered over me, wearing a top hat on his head that concealed his eyes. I could make out sandy hair underneath the hat and he appeared middle-aged. His large coat made him look mysterious. Although I didn't know this man, there was something about him that seemed familiar like from a distant memory.

The man had paused to study me as well, frowning in thought as he did so.

"If you don't mind me asking," I said, "do I know you from somewhere?"

I couldn't read his expression as he stiffened and made a noise like he was coughing. "No," he said, very serious all of the sudden, "I don't think I've met you before. But I apologize for running into you like that. Well, good bye."

He adjusted his hat, pushing it farther down before walking away. I exited the post office and met Count Olaf's associate outside. He looked at me puzzled but gave me a warning look as if he expected I was up to something. I ignored him and began heading down the street. As I glanced back, though, I saw the man again. He was standing near the supermarket, a block away. He stared at the two of us with wide eyes.

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><p>The next day, one of my chores included cooking for Count Olaf and his troupe. Forty dollars was taped to the list for me to spend. I nearly groaned when I found it last on the list. I didn't know how to cook anything. I could barely cook toast without burning it. The only thing I knew for sure, was to never cook pasta puttanesca and I did remember the dish Count Olaf had wanted was roast beef.<p>

So I made up my mind to make roast beef…if only I knew how to make it. I wished Klaus were here so I could maybe ask him for a cookbook. I knew all too well that the last thing Olaf would have in his house would be a cookbook. Also, even if I did go out and purchase some groceries, how would I be able to afford it with only forty dollars? A roast beef big enough to feed six people as well as myself cost a lot more than that.

I left the house and walked to the town again. Hopefully I could find a really cheap roast beef and borrow a cookbook from the library.

I found the supermarket and found out that the cheapest roast beef was forty five dollars. It was very disappointing. I wandered back outside and stopped when I saw a bookstore a few stores down. I stared through the glass windows at the hundreds of books stalked in the shelves, waiting to be read.

It jogged my memory of Klaus again which made me turn away, so as not to start crying like I did often when I was reminded of him. I sighed and sat down on the curb, miserably. I knew if I chose anything else to make, it wouldn't be enough.

After a while, a man with sandy hair and a top hat was passing by. It was the same man from the post office. When he saw me he paused.

"Hello, again," he said, tipping his hat. It was odd, yesterday he'd been very uptight but this morning he acted friendlier. Maybe he had been having a bad day yesterday.

"Hi," I said, shyly.

He looked up and down the deserted street as if someone were watching.

"Are you here by yourself?" the man asked.

I nodded.

"Well, I'm a little tired from all the work I've been doing. Do you mind if I sit?"

I shrugged. "Go ahead. It's not my curb."

The man sat down a decent distance away on the curb beside me. He was silent for a moment.

"I'm afraid I never got the chance to introduce myself the other day." He began, "My name is Monty." He held out his hand for me to shake, "Monty Kensicle.

I hesitantly held out my own hand and shook his.

"I'm Jane," I replied, "you're name reminds me of someone." I'd thought of poor Uncle Monty. "I had a guardian with that name."

Monty nodded. "Where are your parents?"

"They, uh, well…passed away," I mumbled.

"Ah, of course," he said, looking sincerely apologetic, "losing a loved one can be very hard, especially at such a young age."

"I was one years old when I lost them," I continued, "so I barely remember what they looked like. But I was given a photo of them by Mr. Poe." I grimaced, "it's really the only thing I have left of them. Mr. Poe told me they were killed in a car crash."

"Do you remember their names?" he asked, "maybe I knew them."

"Why do you think that?" I asked, curiously.

"'It's a small world,'" Monty said with a chuckle.

"Okay," I said, "their names were Henry and Abigail."

"I beg your pardon?" Monty asked, looking at me oddly.

"Abigail and Henry Rumary," I repeated.

"Ah, Rumary," Monty said, looking away across the street, "I don't believe I know them."

"No one does," I muttered, "it's as if they never existed."

Monty was silent and he seemed to be focused on something going on across the street. Two women were bickering to each other about something.

"What are you doing here?" he asked after a moment.

"I'm trying to buy some roast beef at the supermarket," I explained, "but I don't have enough money and I don't have a cookbook."

"Cooking?" Monty Kensicle asked, curiously.

I nodded. "I've been doing chores all day for my guardian," I said, "and he wants me to cook for him and his acting troupe. According to my friends, he's very picky and if I don't do it right, well, I'll get into a lot of trouble."

He narrowed his eyes. "Who is this guardian?"

"I-I can't say," I said, quietly, "that's one of his rules. Actually, I'm breaking one right now by talking to you. But what should it matter when I don't make dinner. He hurt my friends when they messed it up, except, in their defense, he never told them he wanted roast beef. They made pasta puttanesca and so far that's the only thing I know not to make…"

"Italian food is not enjoyed by villainous people," Monty commented, "as it is a noble dish."

"Sorry I'm dumping all my problems on you," I sighed, "I just have no one to talk to about this. It feels silly that I'm telling a stranger all of this. You probably don't care…"

"I've had to deal with so many problems that I think one more couldn't hurt," Monty said, "actually, I just might be able to help you out."

I raised my eyebrows. "Really?"

He gave me a small smile. "I'm sure I can find you a cookbook and I don't mind buying the ingredients you need."

"Oh, thank you," I said, gratefully, but then I frowned. "But, I can't accept that. How will I repay you?"

"Christmas is soon isn't it?" Monty said, "Just think of it as a Christmas present."

"A present that I'll be giving to horrible people," I muttered, "but I guess it's okay."

Monty started to get up off the curb and waited for me to do the same. He looked confused when I stayed where I was.

"Is there something wrong?" he asked.

"Well, I just…I just realized…I barely know you," I said, "how can I know you're telling the truth? I mean, what reason would you have for helping me? It seems wrong for me to be so trusting, especially since you could very likely be one of Count Olaf's associates."

Monty stared at me with an expression I couldn't read.

"Because…I do know you," he explained, talking slowly as if he were carefully choosing his words, "there was a fire a few months ago at a mansion where I had been inside along with my dear friends. And out of nowhere, I saw a girl about your height, with the same blond hair and eyes come inside. I remember pulling her from the fire. It took me all last night to realize it was you. I hope I'm right. It is not always good to make wrong assumptions about people and it can easily get you into trouble."

I recalled the fire at the Baudelaire mansion when a mysterious man saved me from my own stupid life-risking actions. I gaped.

"I do remember," I said, brightening, "and um, thanks again for uh, saving my life."

He nodded. "So, you do remember," Monty said, "well, I mean you no harm at all."

"You knew the Baudelaire's?" I asked, my eyes wide.

"I did," he replied, "though I never really got to know the children."

"I was staying with the Baudelaire's at a boarding school before I was brought here," I explained, "I miss them awfully bad. It felt like I was losing more than just a few friends."

"I understand," Monty said, sounding suddenly distraught, "well we should hurry, you probably don't have much time."

I nodded.

So Monty led me inside the bookstore and I found a cookbook with a decent looking roast beef recipe. Then, we went to the supermarket so I could pick out some roast beef and a few more ingredients including some grease. I bought some corn too as a side dish. I hoped it would do. Monty purchased the items and soon I had everything I needed.

"So, now all I need to do is make it," I said, "and hope I don't burn anything."

He flashed a small smile. "If you need anymore help with ingredients," he said, "feel free to ask me but I'm afraid I can't be of much assistance with cooking. I'm a terrible cook, though I used to know someone who was fine at such a thing. She'd always say that it was the presentation of the meal that mattered more than the taste."

"Well, they seem to be carnivores," I said, "so it probably wouldn't matter how bad it tastes as long as its meat."

Monty chuckled. "I hope everything works out for you."

"Thank you very much," I said, politely, "Bye."

He waved and started off in the opposite direction, down the street.

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><p>R&amp;R please!<p>

What did you think?

I'll update soon!


	3. An Invention

Here's a new chapter! Just more little snippets including some more of Monty Kensicle! :) R&R please!

Enjoy!

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><p><strong>Chapter 3: An Invention<strong>

Over the next few days, I kept finding an excuse to leave for town. I would wander through the park and find Monty sitting on one of the benches, or I'd check out the bookstore if he wasn't there. Most of the time, I did see him. I'd tell him about my past and the Baudelaire's. I also asked him questions about the Baudelaire's parents.

"Who could've burned down their home?" I asked as we sat on a bench at the park. Children of various ages were playing on the swing set and dogs were chasing squirrels. Monty always brought a newspaper with him to the park and kept his hat low to conceal his eyes. It wouldn't seem odd, but the newspapers he read were always at least four years old. He glanced up at me, startled by my question.

"It's just as mysterious to me, as it is to you," Monty said, but there was something he wasn't telling me. I didn't want to sound too nosy, so I let it slide. If he wanted to tell me, he would've done so already.

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><p>Sometimes Monty would help me complete some of the chores assigned by Count Olaf, such as preparing a broken window. The cooking chore hadn't turned out so good and I was still confused.<p>

I had been taking the roast beef out of the oven when Count Olaf entered and started interrogating me about my chores. When he saw the roast beef, he freaked out for some reason and that was the last time I was given the job of cooking. He surprisingly, didn't smack me like he'd done to Klaus. Instead, I was sent straight to my room after dinner. Count Olaf thought he was punishing me, but what he didn't realize is that; I hardly ever spent any free time I had in any other part of his house. I had no interest to at all. Even if I were permitted to go into the tower room, I wouldn't want to go in there unless I had a good reason to. Violet told me about that room and well, I was already unfortunate enough that I'd gotten a glimpse of Stephano's guestroom and Shirley's office. That was enough to keep me out of his tower.

So anyways, Monty would help me with these chores but he refused to go too close to the house. I'd asked him once why he was reluctant to go near the house.

"It wouldn't be wise," he explained, "I might be seen."

"But he's not home," I insisted, "he went out and he said he wouldn't be back until the evening."

Monty shook his head. "As much as I'd like to be of better help," he said, "I've encountered that awful man before and going near his home would be like walking into a lion's den."

I sighed but reluctantly dragged over some logs. I was supposed to chop them and we'd both come to the conclusion, that it was a dangerous job for someone like me.

"He always talks about keeping me alive," I was saying as Monty helped me chop the wood. "But he's kind of contradicting himself by giving me an ax to chop wood with."

Monty chuckled and I found myself letting out a small laugh.

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><p>The following morning, I walked over to my window again. In the night, instead of wasting my time by trying to sleep, I decided to think of a way that I could easily move in and out of Count Olaf's home, without him noticing.<p>

I didn't want to run away yet. Monty already had enough things to deal with than to help me escape from a terrible villain. I only needed a secret passage way or something like that.

But I wasn't nearly as clever as Violet so my plan had a few flaws. I'd thought of building a ladder like one of those rope ones or a light metal ladder that's easy to move. I'd noticed one of the boards were loose outside of my window. I could hide the ladder in there and figure out how to install hinges on it so I can open it like a door. I could drill hooks inside it and hang the ladder on it. I could make it so that every time I opened the door, the ladder would easily to fall out of the hole. I'd been so excited when I came up with that, that a way to get back up the ladder didn't cross my mind. I needed something full proof, so when the day did come when I would make my escape, I could slip out, unnoticed.

I'm sure Violet could have invented a trapdoor or maybe even a secret elevator but unfortunately, she wasn't here and my project would be mostly handled alone with some help from Monty.

I planned to meet him today to explain my project to him. He'd probably help me come up with better ideas.

I found Monty in the park again and sat beside him on the bench.

"I was thinking of a plan to sneak out of Olaf's house unnoticed," I began, "that way, well, I can eventually escape."

He nodded. "You'll have to be careful," Monty said, "from what you've told me, this man should not be underestimated."

"I know," I agreed, "that's why it's very secretive. I want to make sure he'll never find it."

"What have you come up with?"

"Well, I'm nothing like Violet Baudelaire who loves to invent things but, this might work," I said, then I launched into an explanation project.

When I was finished Monty was smiling. "That's a very clever idea," he praised, "and I think we'll be able to do it, with the right materials."

I smiled back, eagerly. "Great," I said.

"We'd better get started then," Monty said.

So we started the project. I watched as Monty made a detailed sketch of what it would look like while I explained the details. The sketch was adjusted until we were both satisfied and had a list of materials we would need to do use.

We would buy the materials tomorrow and hopefully start building.

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><p>We found everything we needed. It wasn't too hard because the Hardware store had everything we were looking for.<p>

"So how should I start?" I asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you probably can't build it because you'd have to go near Count Olaf's home to do it."

Monty pursed his lips. "I don't think this is a job for you alone," he said, "not that I don't think you're capable of building it but I think I can find a way to help out. Is your guardian home at the moment?"

I shook my head. "He's gone all day again."

"We'll have to be careful, but I think I can come over and take a look at it," he said, "We'll start with the door itself."

"Sounds good," I said.

Monty stopped at his home and disguised himself as the man who looked like neither a man nor a woman who hadn't gone with Count Olaf. He/she wasn't home though. I waited at the park for Monty to return in his disguise and then I helped him carry our supplies to Count Olaf's house.

Count Olaf's long, black car was missing from the driveway so I was reassured that he was gone for a while.

Monty followed me through the tall dead grass to the side of the house where my room's window was, he looked around a lot, probably worried that Count Olaf would come back unexpectedly. But I knew he wouldn't. One thing about Count Olaf that I learned is that he likes to take his time. I pointed to the loose board. It was difficult to see it clearly from here.

"We might have to get closer," I said.

Monty looked reluctant but he nodded and inched his way forward. I explained that we should go to the back of the house and enter through the back door.

"As I said before," Monty said as we reached the back door which was falling off of it's hinges, "it's like walking right into a lion's den."

"Trust me, Boo Radley isn't home," I joked. **(AN: Reading 'To Kill A Mocking Bird' for english)**

Monty chuckled but his feet still shifted nervously.

I opened the door and stepped carefully inside.

Monty followed, hesitantly. He gave all of the eyes a worried look as we walked up the stairs to the second floor.

We reached my room and I showed him the loose board.

"This shouldn't be too difficult," Monty said, examining it by pulling it in and out of where it sat on the side of the house. "It's large enough to fit the ladder."

I nodded. "We should start with the inside of the hole," I said.

Monty agreed and we began to work. I helped him as best as I could and soon enough we had nearly finished it. we would have finished the entire project but Monty got antsy after two hours of working. He was still very worried about being seen and I wondered why. I should be the one worrying about that, not him. If Count Olaf ever knew about this, well…the results just wouldn't be good.

So I said goodbye to Monty and made sure he got out of the house okay. He took the supplies with him, just in case Count Olaf discovered them. He told me to meet him at the park again tomorrow and we could finish our project.

I smiled to myself as I headed back up the stairs and thought of the Baudelaire's. One day, I'd be with them again and then, I would find a way to really stop Count Olaf once and for all.

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><p>I'll update soon!<p>

Thanks for all the reviews! :)

Review, Review, Review!

What do you think of the invention? I'm not like Violet either, so it's probably not the best invention but it'll be of good use to Jane later.


	4. The Notebook

**_Here's a new chapter! Hope you like it! :)_**

**_R&R please!_**

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><p><strong>Chapter 4: The Notebook <strong>

After a couple more days of working, our project was finally complete.

The ladder was wound around a device so it worked like a pulley. There was a handle attached to it that I could use to turn the ladder until it touched fairly close to the ground. Hinges were put on the bottom edges of the loose piece of wood so it could open like a door. A lock on the bottom was simple enough, with a lock, the combination being December 21st, 2009 in digit form. It was the date of the Company show and it was important to me for many reasons, one being discovering that Klaus liked me. It made me sad to think that he may never know how I felt. Or did he already know? I could never be sure.

To get the ladder from the bottom, I would have to keep the lock open but the door was very indiscreet and now one could tell there was much on it or in it. Anyways, to get the ladder out from the bottom, we got a clear thin but firm cord and Monty tied it into a complicated knot onto the doorknob. We drilled a nail into the outside wall near the bottom so that it stuck out. The cord was tied in a less complicated way to the nail too. All I had to do was untie the cord attached to the nail and tug on it sharply so the door would open and the ladder would fall out because another rope would need to be tied from there to the handle so when the door opened, the other piece of rope would automatically turn the handle. It would fall halfway down on the first few attempts, but I extended the rope so it now almost reached the ground.

After we'd finished, I'd worn a smile all day. I was sort of proud of what I'd done, even with help. I wondered what Violet would think.

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><p>The next few days went by quickly and I went back to my regular routine; meeting Monty in the park. One day we were strolling along the pathways; Monty in his usual beige suit with a dark brown top hat, pulled down over his eyes. I sometimes wondered if it was difficult for him to see with his vision obscured. I didn't ask him, knowing it was probably not a very good question.<p>

So I continued to talk about the Baudelaire's and how much I missed them. Monty surprisingly never got tired of me babbling about them all the time. He seemed almost interested to learn more.

"I was the one who convinced Klaus to take Acting," I was babbling, "though if I could go back in time and start again, I'm not sure if I would take Acting, since Alfonso turned out to be our teacher."

"If things were like that then, I would have never lost so many people who I cared about," Monty said.

"And maybe my parents would still be alive," I mumbled.

Monty looked away and I saw an odd look on his face. It looked like something was bothering him; maybe he was upset about what happened to the Baudelaire's parents.

Something made Monty jump and he dropped the bag he always carried with him. Its contents spilled to the floor. A stack of papers fell out along with a crimson notebook. Monty had bent down to pick up the stack of papers and didn't notice the notebook. It had opened to a page. Written on the page was a list of names:

**_Violet Baudelaire_**

**_Klaus Baudelaire_**

**_Sunny Baudelaire_**

**_Jane Rumary*_**

**_Count Olaf_**

**_Melissa Sampson_**

**_Mr. William R. Lance_**

Beside my name, he had drawn a star as if it were important for some reason. In crisp, neat handwriting, beside my name, was 'kicked out of last boarding school. Fire?' Below that, was the name of my first boarding school, Ontario Boarding School for Girls and then, the New York boarding school. He had written some more notes beside the other names like Melissa Sampson. Beside her name he wrote 'Adopted? Father unknown. Adoptive parents killed-Fire.' Beside, Count Olaf's name he had written 'Alfonso- black wig, waxed eyebrows? Drama teacher; kidnap or adoption?' The image of an eye was printed neatly at the bottom.

"What's this?" I asked, picking it up, "Why is my name here?"

Monty's eyes widened and he quickly snatched the notebook. "It's um, nothing…I just…"

"Please explain to me what's going on," I demanded, a little nervous that Monty knew so much. I never told him about the Ontario Boarding School for Girls and I never mentioned Melissa Sampson either.

"Alright, alright," Monty said, seeming to sigh in defeat, "I, um…why don't we sit down?"

He gestured to one of the benches nearby. I followed him and sat down beside him.

"The…reason…for this…notebook…is well…" he stumbled for the right words to explain, "You see, I'm…I mean, I was very close friends with the Baudelaire's parents like I mentioned. When the fire happened and they…um…perished…" Monty paused to take a deep breath. "I found out that their children-your friends-were being placed in the care of Count Olaf. I've known Count Olaf for quite some time and I know a lot about the crimes he has committed in the past…so, although, there wasn't much I could do to help the Baudelaire children for certain reasons, I decided to take it upon myself to chronicle their lives. And I've been doing just that ever since and when you got involved in the Baudelaire's lives, I began to do the same for you, unfortunately, you were a little more difficult to write about because I don't believe I knew your parents. I was meaning to travel to your boarding school in Canada to find out more but everything else got in the way. It was also confusing because I never actually understood how you got to Dr. Montgomery's home."

"I'm actually still a little confused about why that happened," I admitted, "Klaus and I came up with a theory that I have some kind of magic, like Matilda. Klaus has it too and last time he made Count Olaf, who was disguised as Alfonso, trip and fall into a fountain. So, you've written down our lives since the fire?"

Monty nodded. "The first three are already copied as novels, though they haven't been published yet."

"A novel?" I asked, taken aback. Who would ever want to write down or read about our lives? And not just ione novel, but three? "How did you do that?"

"Well, I had a bit of help from my brother," he admitted, "but I've just traced your path. Do you remember the taxi driver at Lake Larchymose?"

I gaped. "That was you?"

Monty nodded. "I was also, unfortunately, the taxi driver for Stephano," he shuddered.

I grimaced. "So you've written everything down word for word?"

"Not particularly word for word but taking notes is a skill I acquired after many years of practice and I find them to be somewhat thorough. Writing is a passion of mine, which is why I'm doing this. It has always felt like my duty, as if I owe it to their parents to trace their children's lives."

"I guess that makes sense," I said, in understanding, "why do you write about me then? You didn't know my parents."

"Well," Monty said, "let's just say, what other girl would convince Klaus Baudelaire to act and sing?" That made me grin. "Clearly, the Baudelaire's care about you and I'm just as curious as you are about your parents'."

"Maybe you could eventually publish those books," I suggested. "It might bring us one step closer to getting the truth."

"Maybe, but I've learned that once a secret is heard, you'll be left wanting to know more," Monty said, "not even Klaus Baudelaire could ever know every secret in life."

I nodded.

"So, you probably don't know who set that fire," I said.

Monty kept his eyes on the ground as he spoke: "I'm afraid I do not."

I grimaced and sighed. Then something suddenly occurred to me. I wondered why I hadn't mentioned it before.

"Why do you have an image of an eye tattooed on your ankle?" I asked, suddenly nervous about who this man was.

Monty stared at me gravely. "The tattoo means that I fight fires or am regarded as a noble person. Other people like me share the same tattoo. The noble people consider each other as a community. The villains do so as well, though, I've noticed, most of them don't get along with each other and end up committing crimes individually or with one other person. Teams are very rare except for some like Count Olaf and his theater troupe. Though, I wouldn't call them a team since Count Olaf is always the one in charge."

"They barely get along with each other too," I added, "But why does Count Olaf have it then?" Before Monty could respond, I came to the conclusion myself. Maybe once, a long time ago, Count Olaf had put out fires too.

"Because, a long time ago, most of us were on the same side," Monty explained, "but since when does any group of people remain at peace? Even the most united communities end in corruption. Corruption is a word which means united communities becoming polluted with wrong."

"Do you think we'll ever find some kind of peace again?" I asked.

Monty smiled sadly. "I hope so. It seems cruel that children have to suffer through these terrible things because of our conflicts. A lot of people involved in the noble community have tried to be indifferent to all of the villainy in our world. Indifference means to be ignorant to the wrong that is going on around you."

"But wouldn't being indifferent just make those people villains in a different way?" I said.

Monty looked slightly taken aback by what I'd said. He replied: "If only there were more people in the world like yourself, who could realize that."

I gave him a small smile. "I'm not noble, though," I mumbled, "noble people aren't supposed to steal or lie or…do awful things like I have. The Baudelaire's are noble, not me."

"Even the noblest people in the world are allowed to make mistakes," Monty said, "and even the most horrible people can do good things as well."

"I wish that there could be just one day when everything could be at peace," I muttered.

"I do too. But that's just life; unpleasant, cruel, and unfair."

"I don't like that," I muttered

"No one does," he said, sadly, "that's why noble people like ourselves fight against the villains."

"Maybe those books will be a start to fighting them," I said, thoughtfully, "I want to fight the villains too."

Monty smiled vaguely but didn't say another word.

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	5. Bad News

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><p><strong><span>Chapter 5: Bad News<span>**

When I woke up the following day and went downstairs into the kitchen to see if I could try and eat a decent breakfast, I found Count Olaf sitting at the table again. The bowl of oatmeal was waiting for me on the table today.

I sat down and raised my eyes questioningly at Count Olaf. "What's going on?"

"There's something I need to tell you," Count Olaf said, staring at the bowl of oatmeal in front of me. I took a bite, though it wasn't the best tasting oatmeal.

I waited for him to continue.

"We'll be leaving soon," Count Olaf said.

"What?" I said, confused.

"You heard me," he grumbled, "We're leaving the house in two days to go somewhere."

"Where exactly are we going?" I asked.

"Not too far," Count Olaf said.

I still didn't understand where or why we were leaving. What could Count Olaf possibly be up to?

"Why are we leaving?" I asked.

"I have important things to do, that's why," Count Olaf said, "anyways, I must be going to prepare for our trip. I'll be gone all day again so there'd better not be any trouble from you. And to be generous, I decided not to give you any chores today."

Count Olaf rose and started for the door.

"You're after the Baudelaire's, aren't you?" I said, suddenly understanding. I wasn't too happy about that.

Count Olaf smirked and he didn't need to say anything for me to know.

"You can't do that," I protested, "you promised you would leave them alone."

Count Olaf laughed mockingly. "Did you actually think I meant that?" he said, "You stupid girl."

Count Olaf left and I stayed where I was. I suddenly, felt very idiotic for trusting Count Olaf after everything. But my heart rose when I thought of seeing the Baudelaire's again. After an hour of sitting and waiting upstairs in my room, he left with his troupe again.

"You're leaving?" Monty asked when I told him.

I had walked briskly to the park after Count Olaf left to tell Monty what was happening. I had no idea if I was coming back and though, Monty may not be able to help me…it felt better to hear what he thought about it. Also, it would help him with his story.

I nodded.

"He's going after the Baudelaire's again," I said, "but he promised me he would leave them alone if I went into his clutches. I was trying to protect the Baudelaire's from him."

"Count Olaf is not someone who keeps promises," Monty said.

"That's why I feel so stupid," I said, "I thought maybe he would keep his promise."

"You're not stupid," Monty said, "you're probably a lot smarter than you think."

"What will I do if I never come back here?" I asked, suddenly, "Or if something happens to me or the Baudelaire's?"

"Here," Monty said, reaching into his bag. He pulled out a dark turquoise notebook like his and a pen. "This is a commonplace book like the one I use. This is a spare one that I found. It's unused, though."

"Thank you," I said, taking the commonplace book and the pen, "What should I do with it?"

"Anything you want," Monty said, "as it is yours but if you could, it may be of use if you could write journal entries of the things that happen to you. If you return, you can give it to me. I'll give you the address to my home. Come whenever you return." Monty took the book and wrote it down inside.

"What if I don't come back?" I asked.

"We'll all just have to hope that it doesn't turn out that way unless it's an occasion when Count Olaf is caught," Monty said, "Remember, that no matter what, never let Count Olaf find this. You're a clever girl, and I'm sure you'll be able to do that."

"Thank you," I said, smiling, "for everything you've done for me. I don't know what I would've done if you weren't here. I'd probably die of boredom in Count Olaf's house. The only reason why I'm happy to leave is to see the Baudelaire's again. Especially, Klaus…I miss him."

Monty gave me a small smile. "From what I've observed, he likes you."

I blushed and I shrugged. "I guess I sort of figured when he sang at the Company Show," I said, "I wish he knew…how I feel."

"Maybe this is your chance to tell him," Monty said, "As a friend of mine once said, 'there's no better time than the present to tell someone you like them.'"

"I guess you're right," I agreed, but butterflies still swarmed in my stomach at the thought.

"Have you ever felt that way about someone?" I asked when he didn't say anything else. "Did you ever love someone?"

"I believe I have," Monty said, looking far-off in the distance as if recalling a memory.

"Were you married?" I asked.

"You could say so," Monty said.

"What happened to her?" I asked.

Monty sighed. "Something very tragic," was all he said.

"I'm sorry," I said, apologetically.

That ended our conversation for the day, which was a dismal note because the following day, I couldn't get out of the house since Count Olaf was home. So I started writing some journal entries. I had started writing about my time spent here from when I left the New York Boarding school up to yesterday. But after a bit, I got off task and started writing about Klaus and how I'd felt when I had to lie to him and when I had to leave.

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><p>"Orphan!" Count Olaf's voice cried and he swung open my door.<p>

Disgruntled, from being woken up from a somewhat deeper sleep than I'd had the entire time I've lived here. I was especially, confused because, it was still very dark out and it felt early.

Count Olaf switched on the light and I had to cover my eyes and wait for them to adjust.

"Get up, orphan," he ordered, "we're off to get that fortune. This plan is foolproof so it couldn't possibly fail."

I got up like he told me to and when Count Olaf finally left to bound up the stairs to his tower, I got dressed and packed all of my belongings. Everything was mostly packed already since I'd never really found a reason to unpack. It wasn't as if I had a closet and I really didn't think that cardboard box counted.

I sleepily made my way downstairs and into the kitchen. I wasn't really hungry but I knew if I didn't eat now, I wouldn't be fed later. I ate some bites of oatmeal and before I knew it, Count Olaf was in the foyer, ready to go.

I headed out of the kitchen and gaped when I saw that Count Olaf was yet again, disguised. He wore a sweatshirt and sweatpants and expensive looking running shoes. They were very white and clean which clashed with his usual filthy appearance. The shoes covered up his tattoo. But that wasn't the most significant part of his disguise. On his head was a white turban, wrapped low on his head so that it covered his eyebrow. A red jewel was put in the center to hold it together. it was very odd seeing Count Olaf wearing a turban and I hoped, after this, I'd never have to see this disguise again. But I guess it could have been worse, I mean, his Shirley disguise wasn't exactly any less creepy looking.

"What are you this time?" I asked as I entered.

"Coach Genghis," Count Olaf boasted, "a very nice gym teacher who finds that orphans like yourself are particularly talented runners."

I just nodded and followed him out the door.

The white-faced women were loading the car with a few bags. They left me to put my own bag in though. But soon enough, we were all in the car and ready to go.

"Where exactly are we going?" I asked.

"The Baudelaire's were sent to live at Prufrock Prepatory School," Count Olaf explained.

"Another boarding school?" I muttered, more to myself. It looks like Mr. Poe was starting to run out of options. And he had chosen the last location I'd ever want to go. I really didn't want a repeat of last time or of my first boarding school.

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	6. Reunited

**Here's a new chapter! Hope you like it! :) Jane goes to Prufrock Prep...**

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><p><strong>Chapter Six: Reunited<strong>

The drive was long and we didn't arrive there until late in the afternoon. Count Olaf, or Coach Genghis parked the car and we got out. I stared at the school and discovered that there were worse looking boarding schools than my previous ones. The buildings were shaped as gravestones or if you wanted to sound less morbid, you could say they looked like thumbs. There was an archway at the entrance with PRUFROCK PREPATORY SCHOOL written in big letters on the sign. Below it were smaller words written in what looked like Latin 'Memento Mori' as its school motto. I didn't know Latin but I did know French and the French word for 'to die' is mourir, which is similar to the word 'Mori'. Since all European languages had a link to Latin, and Memento sounded like memory, I assumed that it had something to do with a memory of death. I'd have to ask Klaus about the motto later, he would probably know what it meant. For now, I just jotted a note down in my commonplace book about it without Count Olaf noticing.

He was too busy with other things. The white-faced women, had disappeared into the school already, they were posing as cafeteria ladies.

"Now," Count Olaf said, "since there are some people here who might recognize you, you'll need to wear this."

He produced a wig of brunette colored hair, though it wasn't a very attractive shade.

"Who there is going to recognize me?" I said, "Like always, no one listens to children so the Baudelaire's can't possibly say much and Mr. Poe doesn't live here."

"But he might have shown the principal a photo of what you look like," Count Olaf said, thrusting the wig into my hands. "Apparently this boarding school also has an advanced computer, though it probably isn't nearly as secure as the last school. though I don't think I'd refer to that last school as a safe place when…oh, we're getting off topic. Put the wig on."

I sighed and placed it on my head. It felt weird to wear the wig, I liked my hair and the wig was bushy and tangled. I just hoped it wasn't infested with lice or something.

"From now on you are…Maya B. Laurri, yes I'm sure that will fool everyone," Count Olaf said, his eyes shining brightly as we walked towards the school. It was late enough that not many people were out to see us.

"What does the 'B' stand for?" I asked.

"Big," he replied.

"Maya Big Laurri," I repeated, "I think I'll get beat up."

Count Olaf grumbled something that I didn't catch.

"And one more thing," he said, as we reached the doors to the Administrative building. "no trouble from you. I was quite generous to let you come along. Otherwise, I would have hidden you in a locker or something."

"I won't cause trouble," I said, though I wasn't sure if I could really keep that promise, "What is your plan this time, anyways?"

"That's for me to know and for you to find out," Count Olaf said.

We reached the Vice Principal's office and I could hear some awful noises coming from the room. It sounded like someone was attempting to play the violin but was dreadful at it. Count Olaf knocked on the door three times.

"Who dares to interrupt a genius who is rehearsing?" A loud voice cried, swinging open the door.

A tall man stood in the doorway wearing a messy brown suit with a tie decorated with snails. He had a small, red nose though it wasn't at all cold in this room. He was going bald with only a few hairs left which were ted into little pigtails with some rubber bands.

"I'm Coach Genghis and I'm very sorry to interrupt such lovely music," Count Olaf said and I almost rolled my eyes at his attempt to suck up to him. "I'm a genius in the area of athletics and I am often mortified when I'm disturbed."

"Yes, yes," the man said, "come in, come in." We entered the office.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he announced, "Vice Principal Nero!"

Count Olaf began to clap and nudged me with his elbow when I wasn't clapping too. I made exaggerated claps until Vice Principal Nero looked satisfied and began to bow.

"Thank you very much and welcome to Prufrock Prepatory school…"

Vice Principal Nero drowned on about the school and Coach Genghis interjected with comments to impress him. I found a chair and sat down while I waited for them to finish.

Nero's office was small with an advanced computer sitting on a metal desk. It was a very discreet place and nothing like Mr. Lance's office.

"And is this your daughter?" Vice Principal Nero asked, pointing to me. I was thinking of telling him that it was rude to point but knew it would only make Coach Genghis mad.

Coach Genghis let out a loud, wheezy laugh. "Oh, no," he said, "she isn't my daughter. I'm way too old. But I became her guardian when my wife, passed away several years ago. I adopted the poor orphan who had lost her parents."

"Oh, how awful," Vice Principal Nero said.

"My wife had been the only one who had believed in me," Coach Genghis said, giving him a sad look and dramatically wiping a fake tear away. "But little Maya here, inspired my newest athletic program."

"Oh, really?" Nero said, curiously.

Coach Genghis nodded. "It's called Special Orphan Running Exercises, or S.O.R.E, for short. All orphans have perfect running legs. In fact, I was hoping to find some new orphans here that I could hopefully meet and try out my new program with."

"Well, you're in luck," Nero replied, "We happened to have a few orphans arrive sometime last week. Veronica, Klyde, and Susie, I think. And there are two other twins. I can't remember their names."

"Do you think we'll have a chance to see them any time soon?" Coach Genghis asked, his eyes shining brightly.

"Not at the moment," Nero said, "classes are still in session but afterwards, I'll take you to see them. For the time being, you can start unpacking. Your orphan can go up to the dorm rooms and will be given a room. Five o'clock is dinnertime and if you're late you'll be punished. Speaking of punishments, all students are punished for entering this building without an appointment and being late to class will mean you will be punished too. Is that clear?"

I nodded, grabbing my bag. "Bye," I said as I left. Coach Genghis snuck me a look that told me that I'd better not do anything to mess up his scheme. It wasn't as if I knew what he was planning anyways.

So I headed up to my dorm and found an empty room. There was one other bed in the room so I knew I'd have a roommate. But who? Looking around, whoever it was at least was very neat. There were some crumpled up sheets of paper in the garbage with writing on them. They looked like poems of some sort. I didn't want to be one of those nosy roommates so I ignored them and unpacked my things. I didn't unpack too much, though. I knew we'd leave soon with or without the Baudelaire's.

At five minutes to, I headed down to the cafeteria. I walked over to the lunch line and one of the white-faced women at the counter scooped some spaghetti onto my plate. I turned and faced yet another crowded cafeteria full of people I didn't know. I couldn't spot the Baudelaire's amongst the crowd either.

The kids were beginning to stare so I started to move and act like I was going somewhere. I walked past a table full of a bunch of rude, mean looking kids. One in particular, I noticed had unforgettable carrot orange hair. I stopped in my tracks and spun around. 'No', I thought, 'this couldn't be happening! Not now!'

Carmelita Spatz was the worst girl I've ever met and she had made it her priority to make my life a living nightmare in every way possible. She was the reason why I had been excluded at the Ontario Boarding School for Girls and the reason for my expulsion.

She glanced at me as I walked past and I was suddenly glad that I was wearing a wig. She only sneered at me but she did that to mostly everyone. I wondered how the Baudelaire's were handling Carmelita Spatz.

I headed for an empty table near the back. As I made my way there, I spotted someone heading in the same direction but a little further ahead. My heart rose and I grinned.

"Klaus," I said, loud enough for him to hear.

He froze where he was with his tray. He looked around and his eyes locked with mine. I knew that even with my wig on, he knew fully well who I was. I beamed at him. Throughout the time I was away, I'd pictured what it would be like to see Klaus again. I'd imagined how it would happen, what seeing him again would be like, what I'd say, what I would do. However, seeing Klaus again in real life was so much better than it had been in my imagination.

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><p><strong>Yay! Klaus is back! :) But so is Carmelita Spatz :(<strong>

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	7. The Quagmire's

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><p><strong>Chapter 7: The Quagmire's<strong>

"J-Jane?" was all he could manage, his expression was one of shock.

I waved and approached Klaus. When I reached him, I couldn't help but give him a huge hug.

"Jane," Klaus said, he seemed to have finally confirmed that it was really me. He hugged me back. "W-why are you here?" He pulled away, giving me a confused look.

I grimaced. "Guess," I muttered. Klaus seemed to understand because he frowned. Then I realized. "I-I'm so sorry, Klaus…for lying to you and hurting you like that. I never meant to hurt you…I just had to protect you and your siblings."

"Don't worry about it, Jane," Klaus said, sighing, "you have so much to deal with right now that you shouldn't worry about it. But promise me that you won't risk your own life for mine."

"I'll try," I said, "but I can't promise you."

Klaus looked sad all of the sudden. "Are you alright, Jane? Did he hurt you at all?"

I shook my head. "I'm fine," I said, "He hasn't hurt a hair on my head yet. I was too busy doing chores to really aggravate him."

"That's still awful," Klaus said, shaking his head.

I shrugged. "It wasn't all that bad," I said, and then I brightened. "You'll never guess what happened while I was there…well, I can't tell you at the moment in case someone hears but I'll tell you later, I promise."

Klaus was still frowning.

"Don't," I said, "you're worrying for no reason. I'm here now and that's all that matters…for now." Klaus still frowned but didn't say anything. "Well, there's something else I've been meaning to tell you." I remembered what Monty warned me about telling Klaus before I lost my chance. I took a deep breath. "I, um…well about the Company show I-"

"What's going on, Klaus?"

I turned to see who had interrupted me. A girl with long dark hair and dark eyes approached. She wore a thick wool sweater and had a black commonplace book, like mine, in her pocket.

Klaus looked away from me to the girl and his smile reappeared. I felt a small pang of jealousy from seeing that. However, I tried to bite it back. She might actually be a nice person.

"Isadora, this is Jane," Klaus said, "Jane Rumary. Do you remember I told you and Duncan about her?"

Isadora's eyes widened. "Yes, I do," she said, smiling, "Klaus told me you're an amazing singer and a great actress."

I blushed and looked at Klaus who gave me a sheepish smile.

"I guess so," I said, laughing.

"Isadora writes poetry," Klaus told me. I felt another pang of jealously. Isadora nodded. "Would you like to see one?" she asked.

"Show her the one you wrote about Carmelita Spats," Klaus suggested as we sat down at the table and Isadora flipped through.

"Here," Isadora said when she got to one of the pages. Then she lowered her voice and began to read:

"_I would rather eat a bowl of vampire bats,_

_than spend an hour with Carmelita Spats."_

I laughed. "That's funny," I said, "and true."

"So you've had the displeasure of meeting her?" Isadora asked.

"Actually, I haven't talked to her here yet," I said. Isadora tilted her head curiously. "I've known Carmelita for a long time. That was the year her parents decided to send her to boarding school."

"Oh, yes," Isadora said, smiling, "Klaus also told me how you lived at another boarding school. That's horrible that you had to be in the same school with Carmelita Spats for so long. Duncan and I could barely stand being at the same school as her for three months."

I nodded.

"Hey, Klaus, Isadora," I turned and was happy when I saw Violet and Sunny heading towards the table with their dinner. A boy was with them. He looked like Isadora, with short dark hair and dark eyes. He also wore a thick wool sweater and had a dark green commonplace book tucked into his pocket.

They were all looking at me curiously.

"Who's this, Klaus?" Violet asked when they reached the table.

Klaus smiled but didn't say anything. Violet stared at me for two more seconds and then a smile spread across her face.

"Jane?" she said, perplexed.

I nodded and got up from my seat. I gave Violet a hug, which she returned. When I pulled away, I felt Sunny's little arms wrap around my legs. I reached down and picked her up for a proper hug before placing her back down.

"Why are you here?" Violet asked just as Klaus had.

I explained everything to them about Count Olaf being here for one of his schemes. Violet and Sunny weren't very happy about Count Olaf being here.

"Are you alright?" Violet asked when I was done, "Was it awful?"

"When I first arrived, it was terrible," I admitted, "luckily Count Olaf was away a lot or he was up in his tower room. But after a few days it wasn't so bad." I didn't think it was a very good time to bring up Monty Kensicle. I mostly wanted to tell Klaus first. He would be thrilled that someone was writing a book that included him.

"This is Duncan Quagmire," Violet introduced the boy when I was finished explaining, "and it looks like you've already met Isadora Quagmire."

"It's nice to meet you," Duncan Quagmire said, smiling. I noticed he looked a little bit older than Klaus and I but a little younger than Violet. Isadora must be older than us too.

"You too," I said back. "So what do you like? Isadora told me about her poetry and there's probably some reason why you carry that notebook around too."

"I want to be a news reporter someday," Duncan said, "so I take notes on things like I've recently been looking at lakes and ways to prevent contamination."

"That sounds interesting," I said, genuinely interested. Duncan gave me a friendly smile.

After I'd met everyone, we sat down and the Quagmire's told me about what happened to their parents. They explained how their parents were killed in a fire that destroyed their entire home along with their third triplet, Quigley Quagmire. I told them about my own parents and what had happened to me.

"That's terrible," Duncan said, when I was finished, "so does that mean Count Olaf is here too?"

I nodded. "I'm afraid so," I said, "but he won't get you. I'll do my best to make sure he doesn't."

"Jane," Klaus said, concerned, "quit worrying about us and start worrying more about yourself. You could get hurt too, you know. You nearly did last time."

"Maybe," I said, "but I don't care as long as it will help you."

"Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves," Violet said, trying to get us to focus, "for now, we'll need to find out what he's planning. Did he tell you anything, Jane?"

"No," I shook my head. "I guess he was two steps ahead of me and knew I'd tell you if I knew about any of it. He may have let me come along, but he still doesn't trust me. All I know is that he's disguised as the new gym teacher and I'm here posing as his 'orphan' daughter because he made it clear to Vice Principal Nero that he loved orphans. He talked about a running program for orphans."

"I can't imagine how a running program will help him get our fortune," Klaus said.

"Did you say fortune?" Duncan Quagmire asked, "Because our parents left behind a fortune as well. They left us the famous Quagmire sapphires."

"Well, you'd better not let Count Olaf find out then," I said, "or he might come after you too."

"Jane's right," Violet said, "you two should be careful too. We wouldn't want you to get hurt."

"We'll be careful," Isadora said, "but we can still help you. Maybe we can take another trip to the library some time soon."

"That sounds good," I said, eagerly, "It feels like it's been forever since I saw a real book that wasn't a cookbook."

* * *

><p>After dinner, we sat in the Orphan's Shack where Violet, Klaus, and Sunny were being forced to stay. I offered to switch rooms so they wouldn't have to sleep on bales of hay but they refused, saying that Count Olaf's house was a lot worse than the shack.<p>

Violet was busy fashioning some metal on the bottom of my shoes to scare away the crabs. I helped Klaus and Duncan sprinkle salt on the fungus growing on the ceiling.

They were all describing their classes and teachers. Klaus and Isadora had Mrs. Bass as their teacher and all she did was have the class measure. It was even worse because Carmelita Spats was in that class, as well, and she enjoyed bugging Klaus. I had clenched my fists together when I learned that. Someone was going to pay for that, maybe she could get away with picking on me but not the Baudelaire's or the Quagmire's.

Violet and Duncan had Mr. Remora, who always ate bananas. In his class, he would tell them pointless stories, which they would have to copy down in their notebooks.

As for Sunny, she was forced to be Vice Principal Nero's secretary. She was running low on staples and Nero wanted Sunny to fashion her own.

"How is Sunny going to make her own staples?" I cried.

"It's a very ridiculous demand," Violet agreed.

"It's bad enough that she has to work as a secretary," Klaus said, "I've never heard of anything so unfair."

"I think staples are made in factories," Duncan said as he began to flip through his commonplace book, "I don't think people have made staples by hand since the fifteenth century."

"Maybe if Sunny could snitch some of the skinny metal rods," I said, "we could all help her make them after dinnertime tomorrow. Well, after we visit the library, of course. But if we all worked together, maybe it would save Sunny a lot of trouble."

"Speaking of trouble," Isadora added, "I've been working on a poem about Count Olaf, but I'm not sure I know words that are terrible enough to describe him."

"And I imagine it's difficult to find words that rhyme with 'Olaf'," Violet added.

"It is difficult," Isadora admitted, "All I can think of is 'pilaf' and that's a kind of rice dish. And it's more of a half-rhyme anyway."

"I really don't think Count Olaf can be compared with a rice dish either," I muttered.

"Maybe you can publish your poem someday," Klaus said, "and then people will see how horrible he is."

"And I'll write a newspaper article all about him," Duncan said.

"I think I could build a printing press myself," Violet said, "Maybe when I come of age, I'll use some of the Baudelaire fortune to buy any materials I need."

"Could we print books too?" Klaus asked.

I grinned, Monty's books coming to my mind.

"Yes," Violet replied, "Books, too."

"Hold on," I said, getting their attention, "there's something I have to tell you."

"What is it?" Klaus asked.

"Well, you see…when I was at Count Olaf's house," I started, "I met someone…his name is-"

"_I met someone…his name is…"_ We all jumped at Nero's sneering voice. "I'm sorry to interrupt your conversation," Though he didn't sound sorry. "The new gym teacher has arrived, and he was interested in meeting our orphan population before my concert began. Apparently orphans have excellent bone structure or something. Isn't that what you said, Coach Genghis?"

"Oh, yes," Coach Genghis stepped into the room. He looked at each of us and narrowed his eyes at me. "All orphans have perfect legs for running, and I couldn't wait to see what specimens were waiting for me here in the shack. Oh and look who's here? Look's like my daughter, Maya, has found some friends."

I shuddered and I felt Klaus' hand close over mine.

"You bet," I said, mustering a fake smile.

"The rest of you children," Nero said, "get up off those bales of hay and come say hello to Coach Genghis."

They all hesitated. They didn't move to shake his hand or anything. After a few moments Violet rose from the bale of hay she was sitting on and faced Coach Genghis.

"How do you do, Coach Genghis?" Violet said.

Klaus, looking confused, followed suit. "How do you do, Coach Genghis?"

"Gefidio!" Sunny shrieked, which was her way of saying 'How do you do?'

Isadora and Duncan followed.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Coach Genghis said, smirking because he thought he had fooled the Baudelaire's.

"What do you think, Coach Genghis?" Vice Principal Nero asked. "Do any of these orphans have potential?"

"Oh, yes," Coach Genghis said, in a wheezy voice. He gestured to the Baudelaire's. "These three children are just what I'm looking for. But I have no use for these twins."

"I don't either," Nero said. I felt like pointing out that the Quagmire's were triplets but Nero kept talking: "It's time for my concert. Follow me to the auditorium unless you are in the mood to buy me a bag of candy."

It was dark now, the gravestone shaped buildings looked especially eerie in the moonlight.

"This evening," Nero said, "I will be playing…" I didn't pay attention to what Nero was playing at the concert and I wasn't interested in listening to Coach Genghis drone on about how he's the finest gym teacher in the world.

The Baudelaire's, Quagmire's, and I walked behind them and glanced at each other in disgust at Coach Genghis' boasting. We barely said a word to each other, though. I was afraid of bringing Monty up in front of Count Olaf. It would have to wait until he couldn't hear us.

We reached the auditorium and sat near the back row where Coach Genghis or Carmelita Spats wouldn't bother us.

"Why did you pretend not to recognize, Count Olaf?" I asked Violet, curiously.

"Yes," Isadora said, "maybe if you told Vice Principal Nero who he was, then the cakesniffer would be thrown out of here, if you'll pardon my language."

"Is that what Carmelita calls you?" I asked.

They nodded.

"I'm not sure I know what it means," Klaus said, "but it doesn't sound very nice."

I laughed. "That's because it's supposed to mean exactly what it sounds like," I said, "actually, you're not the first people she's ever used that nickname on. I was the cakesniffer in my last boarding school. That was when she only used it to insult me. Now, she uses it on other orphans like me."

"Why does she call you that?" Duncan asked.

"It's a long story," I said, "it started one day at Carmelita's fifth birthday party. I was invited because she wanted a lot of people at her birthday party and she thought it would be fun to push me around. We went to Chuckie Cheese and I was playing in the jungle gym. Carmelita got her friends to block all of the entrances so I couldn't get out."

"That's horrible," Violet said.

"Yeah," I said, "but that wasn't even close to one of the worst things she ever did. So anyways, after they finally let me go, I was so mad that I…um…" I paused, "I'm not sure how this happened, but when Carmelita went to take a bite of the pink princess cake she had demanded her parents get her, it suddenly wasn't exactly cake. It was cardboard with pink frosting on it."

"Is that how she came up with the name?" Isadora asked.

"Basically," I said, "she was so mad that she blamed me for it. As a prank, she stuck the cardboard cake in my gift bag."

"Regur!" Sunny shrieked which Violet translated as "That wasn't very nice."

"That's Carmelita," I said, shrugging, "'not very nice' but don't worry about the name. Carmelita doesn't realize, that I'm the only one who understands what she's talking about. Actually, I'm wondering what she would do if she knew who I was. This wig is really itchy too, I wish I could take it off."

"Speaking of wigs and disguises," Violet said, "I really don't think Nero would believe us if we told him about Count Olaf. If I had said anything earlier, Count Olaf would have found a way out of the situation like he always does."

"That's good thinking," Klaus said, "and pretending we don't know he's Count Olaf might give us some time to figure out what he's planning."

"Lirt!" Sunny shrieked, which I recalled on my own meant something along the lines of "And find out if any of Count Olaf's assistants are around."

Violet translated for the Quagmire's. "That's a good point Sunny," Violet added, "I hadn't thought of that."

"I do know about that," I said, "the white-faced women are here. I think they're working as cafeteria ladies."

They gaped.

"Oh, no wonder they're wearing those masks," Klaus said.

"That's why we need to be careful," I said, "we'll need to keep our conversations about Count Olaf to a more secretive location like the Orphan's Shack. I guess that's one benefit of living there."

They nodded.

"Count Olaf has assistants?" Isadora asked, "That's not fair. It's bad enough without people helping him."

"They're just as awful as he is," I said, "there's a bald man who bossed us around at the Lumbermill and he likes to push me around a lot."

"There's the hook handed man who helped Count Olaf murder our Uncle Monty," Klaus added, "and he helped Count Olaf kidnap Jane."

"There's the white faced women like Jane mentioned," Violet said, "and they forced us to be in Count Olaf's play and now they're here."

"Aeginu!" Sunny shrieked and she probably meant "And there's the man who looks like neither a man nor a woman."

"What did she say?" Duncan asked, opening his notebook. "I want to write down everything I can about Count Olaf and his henchmen."

"Sunny said, that there's also the man who looks like neither a man nor a woman," I translated for him. He wrote something down in his notebook.

"Why do you want to do that?" Violet asked.

"Why?" Isadora said, "Because we want to help you, that's why. You don't think we'd just sit here while you tried to escape from Olaf's clutches, would you?"

"But Count Olaf is very dangerous," Klaus said, "if you try and help us, you'll be risking your lives too. And Jane was kidnapped when she tried to help us." Klaus glanced at me, "We don't want that to happen to you too."

"Never mind about that," Duncan said, "What we need is a plan. Now, we need to prove to Nero that Coach Genghis is really Count Olaf. How can we do that?"

"Nero has that computer," Violet said, thoughtfully, "He showed us a little picture of Olaf on the screen, remember?"

"Yes," Klaus said, "He said it would keep Count Olaf away."

"Well, we all know that even the safest schools can have bad things happen to it," I said, referring to the New York Boarding school. "If Count Olaf managed to get in there then, it would be almost too easy for him to come here. Besides, the computer probably can't detect Count Olaf while he's in disguise."

Violet, Klaus, and Sunny nodded.

"If we go and see Nero first thing tomorrow morning," Violet said, "we can talk to him alone, without Olaf butting in. We'll ask him to use the computer. Nero might not believe us, but the computer should be able to convince him to at least investigate Coach Genghis."

"Maybe Nero will make him take off the turban," Isadora said, "to reveal his only eyebrow."

"Or take off those expensive running shoes," Klaus said, "to reveal Olaf's tattoo."

"What if he doesn't listen?" I asked.

"Well, maybe you could explain to him who you really are," Klaus said, "if you did that, he might contact Mr. Poe and we can be sure that you stay out of Count Olaf's clutches."

"But if you talk to Nero," Duncan said, "then Coach Genghis will know that you're suspicious."

"We can't let him find out," I added, "I know I said he hasn't done anything bad to me yet, but if he knows about it, he might be very angry with me."

"Don't worry, Jane," Violet said, "We'll be extra careful. We want Nero to find out about Olaf, without Olaf finding out about us."

"I don't know if I can be apart of telling Nero in case he told Count Olaf. But maybe I could keep watch instead," I suggested, "I could watch for Count Olaf and if I see him coming I'll signal you or something. And I'll try to distract him without really angering him."

"That might be of help," Klaus said, "as long as you're really careful."

"Oh, stop worrying," I muttered, "I'll be fine, I think I can handle it."

"In the meantime," Duncan added, "Isadora and I can do some investigating too."

"I can help with investigating," I said, "Actually I have some things that I can tell you about later that you can add to your information."

"That would be very useful," Violet said, "are you sure you want to help us?"

"Say no more about it," Duncan said, patting Violet's hand.

We continued to find ways to entertain ourselves during the concert. I mostly talked to Klaus.

"What were you talking about before?" Klaus asked, as Nero's sonata, "You said you met someone…who?"

I looked around in case someone was listening. I lowered my voice so only Klaus could hear me. It wasn't difficult, since Nero's violin drowned out our conversation.

"His name is Monty," I said, "Monty Kensicle."

Klaus nodded.

"Well, he said he knew your parents," I continued, "he never explained it in full detail but he said that they were good friends."

"My parents did know a lot of people," Klaus said, nodding, "I wonder why I never met him."

"Maybe you did but you don't remember," I suggested.

"Maybe," Klaus agreed.

"So anyways, Monty Kensicle is also a writer," I explained, "and you won't believe what he's doing." I paused and flinched as Nero's violin started screeching. "He's, um, he's writing books about…us."

Klaus squinted, looking startled. "He's writing books about us?" he repeated, keeping his voice down.

I nodded.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because he knew your parents," I said again, "and because he knew them so well, he felt like it was his responsibility to write down the things that happen to us. He's traced our path. He was the taxi driver for Stephano and the taxi driver for us at Lake Lachrymose. He has three books already finished and he's working on the others."

Klaus looked as shocked as I had when I had found out. "How did you meet him?" Klaus asked.

"Well," I began, "one day, I was assigned an errand in town to pick up a package at the post office. One of Olaf's assistants was with me and as I was coming out of the shop, I ran into him. He seemed to be having an off day and I was mostly startled because I saw him look at me as if he knew me from somewhere and I recognized him too. Do you remember how I was there when your home burnt down?"

Klaus nodded. "Someone pulled you out of the house," Klaus added.

"That was him," I said.

"Really?" Klaus asked interested.

"Yes," I nodded, "so the following day I had to cook for Count Olaf and his troupe. Unfortunately, I didn't have a cookbook and I didn't have enough money to buy roastbeef since you mentioned how he was picky about dinner. I ran into Monty again and he introduced himself. We just started talking and recalled the fire. So Monty bought me the supplies I needed." I continued to explain, I didn't go into complete detail so I didn't mention the ladder much. I was more concerned about Monty writing about us to talk about that.

"Are you sure about this, Jane?" Klaus asked, when I finished, "What if this man isn't who he says he is?"

"I swear he isn't dangerous," I said, "I'm not sure how I know, but…something is telling me to believe him. Besides, I've seen his notebook and he has notes about things I never told him about. Klaus, if he wanted to hurt me, don't you think he would have done it already?"

"I'm still not sure about this," Klaus said, frowning, "I'm not meaning to upset you or anything, I'm just worried.

"You don't have to be," I said, giving him a reassuring smile, "I'm tougher than you think."

"Like I keep telling you," Klaus said, "just be careful and try to stay out of trouble."

"I already promised you that," I said, "and that goes for you too."

"I promise," Klaus said, his frown faded and was replaced by a smile.

For the rest of the concert we talked about other things that didn't involve Count Olaf or Monty Kensicle and for a moment, things felt like they were relatively calm. But I recalled an expression Monty had used during our many conversations; 'calm before the storm' he had used. I couldn't remember what he had been referring to but at the moment, it applied to our lives. I knew as much as I tried to hide from it, that danger would come out and strike. Something bad could happen like it always does during Count Olaf's schemes. So as I sat with Klaus, his siblings, and my new friends, the Quagmire's, I tried not to think of what might happen tomorrow or the days afterwards.

* * *

><p><strong>Review please!<strong>

**Jenny-****Hogwarts doesn't come in until later, after the 13th asoue part. i know it sounds like a long wait, but it'll be worth it! :) Also Jane isn't exactly 'in love' yet. It's more like a big crush but they're also best friends and they're in awful situations together so they become closer. [also, because its a crossover with HP and the age for attending in first year is usually eleven...if this story was different then they'd probably be 12 but it wouldn't be nearly as good if i left it as just an ASOUE story :)]**


	8. Secrets

**Here's a new chapter and it's a lot longer than the other ones so enjoy! :)**

**R&R please!**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 8: Secrets<strong>_

That morning I hurriedly got dressed and met the Baudelaire's outside of the Administrative Building. Isadora Quagmire, who happened to be my roommate, wasn't coming with us so she stayed with Duncan.

"Hey," I said as I approached the Baudelaire's who had grim expressions.

"Hey, Jane," Violet said, "How did you sleep?"

"Better than I have been, actually," I said, "I'm sure those bales of hay are really uncomfortable."

Klaus shrugged. "I think we've slept in worse conditions."

"Geraf!" Sunny shrieked which was her way of saying that she hated the shack but she'd rather sleep there than be taken into Count Olaf's clutches.

"I agree," Violet said, "which is why we need to convince Nero before we lose our chance to."

"Aren't we going to be punished for going into the Administrative building without an appointment?" I asked. Klaus laughed quietly and I gave him a questioning look.

"There's nothing funny about that," Violet said, "we'll probably have to eat with our hands. What if they serve oatmeal? We'll have to scoop it up."

"Oot!" Sunny shrieked which Klaus translated meant, "Trust me, it's not that difficult."

"And of course, the one day that we don't have utensils, they'll probably serve pancakes covered in syrup," I said, grinning.

"Or they might serve runny eggs," Klaus added, laughing.

"Soup!" Sunny shrieked and we all laughed.

"Do you remember the picnic?" Violet asked, looking at Klaus and Sunny.

They both nodded, sharing goofy grins.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Well, we were going to the Rutabaga River for a picnic and our father was so excited that he forgot to pack the silverware!" Violet explained, grinning.

"We had to eat all that sweet-and-sour shrimp with our hands!" Klaus added, chuckling, "And then we washed our hands out in the river."

"Sticky!" Sunny shrieked, holding out her hands.

"It definitely was," Violet said, "and then as we were washing our hands we found a perfect spot to try out the fishing rod I had made."

"And I picked blackberries with our mother," Klaus said, smiling.

"Eroos," Sunny said, which probably meant that she had bit rocks.

They stopped laughing suddenly and their smiles faded. My own smile drooped as I stared at them, wondering why they had stopped.

"Well, maybe you'll go back there someday," I said, hoping it would cheer them up. "Maybe you'll get to visit the river again and collect black berries."

Klaus looked up and his eyes were glistening with tears. He blinked and reached up to wipe his eyes with the back of his hand.

"Maybe," he said, "but I don't know if it will ever be the same without my parents."

"We can always try," I said, "and next time, maybe I could come too."

They smiled. "Maybe we can go back," Klaus agreed, though he looked doubtful, "but in the meantime we have to talk to Nero."

The Baudelaire's sighed as we walked into the administrative building. We went to the ninth floor and paused outside of Nero's door. He was not practicing the violin at the moment, which I was thankful for.

"I'll stay over here," I said, gesturing a little ways down the hall, "If I see Count Olaf I'll try and distract him."

"Be careful, Jane," Klaus warned.

"Oh, relax," I said, "I'll be okay."

They exchanged glances but knocked on Nero's door. I wandered down the hall and waited for them to go inside. When they were gone, I walked up and down the hall, looking to see if Count Olaf was coming.

Only a moment had gone by when I saw him appear from around the corner carrying a red rose.

"What are you doing wandering around the administrative building?" Count Olaf asked, looking surprised to see me.

"Well…" I paused trying to come up with a good excuse, "I wanted to talk to you about something and I didn't know where to find you so I came here. I knew you'd be coming along to visit that man who calls himself a '_professional violinist'_. That rose is for him, isn't it?"

"I am merely doing a good deed for such a talented man," Count Olaf said.

"You seriously liked his performance last night?" I asked.

"_Yes, I seriously liked his performance last night_," Count Olaf mocked.

"Well, no offense to your best buddy but, I really don't think I could stand one more concert," I said.

"Good to know," Count Olaf said, quickly, "but I don't care. Now go back to school before I let Nero know you were up here without an appointment."

"But I have something important to say," I said, before he could head for the office.

He narrowed his eyes. "What could you possibly want?"

"See," I raked my brain and decided I had a use for Carmelita Spats after all, "Carmelita Spats is sort of a mean girl, which is actually the nicest thing I can think of to describe her…and…um, well, I've known her since my last boarding school-"

"If this is another bullying problem, then figure it out yourself," Count Olaf spat, moving for the door.

"Wait," I said, moving to stand in front of him, "It's nothing like that. Carmelita knows me so well that I, um…I'm pretty sure she recognizes me."

Count Olaf rolled his eyes and then thrust a pair of glasses into my hands. "Then wear those," he said, "and move out of my way."

"But I can't see with them on," I said. I had put the glasses on and stumbled, "besides, there's more to it than that."

"What?" Count Olaf cried, halting and looking at me with an exasperated expression.

"Do you remember how Mr. Poe told you about the thing that happened at my last boarding school?" I said, slowly, "He probably mentioned something about how having no real parents raise me meant that it was likely that I would have issues."

Count Olaf uttered a rough laugh. "Yes, I was told about that," he said, his eyes shining brightly, "it seems you're not nearly as innocent as you pretend to be, which further proves that no one is truly noble."

"Yeah," I said, though I didn't really care too much about the last part because he didn't know the half of what happened but, I wasn't about to waste my time explaining it to someone like Count Olaf, "so anyways, Carmelita was kind of there when it happened. So she wouldn't pass up any opportunity to tell everyone. And if she tells them, she'll use my name and it'll be such a huge rumor that even Mr. Poe will hear about it at the bank. Then he might come here to look and will be very suspicious of you and me."

Count Olaf shrugged. "Then I'll just hide you in the trunk of my car until he's gone," he said, simply, "I really don't have time for this."

I hurriedly ran in front of the door, blocking his entry.

"Don't go in there," I said, firmly.

"I'm not going to listen to you," Count Olaf sneered and tried to reach for the doorknob but I grasped it tightly to keep the door shut.

"Who's in there?" he asked, still trying to get me out of the way.

"No one," I said, "Nero is in there playing his violin and it's so awful I think he killed a cat. And it was a black one. You'll have really bad luck if you go in there."

"It's those idiotic friends of yours, isn't it?" he asked.

I shook my head.

"I know that they know who I am," Count Olaf said, "it's nothing new to me. they're probably telling Nero all about it right now."

"You knew?"

"Of course, I know," Count Olaf said, "you probably told them which is exactly what I told you not to do."

"I didn't have to tell them anything," I said, "the Baudelaire's aren't stupid and they can recognize me easily especially if I'm only wearing a wig."

Count Olaf growled and with one last shove, I was knocked out of the way. He was swinging the door open. Their conversation drifted out into the hall.

"Who knows?" Nero was saying, "Hee hee hee. Maybe he's disguised himself as Carmelita Spats."

"I wouldn't put it past him," I muttered, but wasn't heard over Coach Genghis', "Or me!"

Klaus looked as if he was fighting the urge to blurt that he was Count Olaf. "That would be funny," he lied, laughing suddenly. At first, I wasn't sure why he was joking around with Coach Genghis of all people but then it occurred to me that he was doing it on purpose to throw off Coach Genghis. Clearly that acting class paid off because Nero seemed to buy it. Count Olaf on the other hand, knew that Klaus was lying but he was still startled that Klaus wasn't being serious. "Imagine if you were really Count Olaf! Wouldn't that be funny, Coach Genghis? That would mean that your turban would really be a disguise!"

"My turban?" Count Olaf said as he realized Klaus was joking, "A disguise? Ho ho ho!"

"Hee hee hee!" Nero laughed.

"Oh, yes," Violet cried, laughing, "take off your turban and show us the one eyebrow you are hiding! Ha ha ha!"

"You three children are really quite funny!" Nero cried, "You're like three professional comedians."

"Volasocks!" Sunny shrieked, flashing a fake smile.

Ha

"Sunny is right," Klaus said," If you were really Olaf in disguise, then your running shoes would be covering your tattoo! And that would mean that Maya Laurri is wearing a wig and is actually Jane Rumary, our friend who was kidnapped by Count Olaf!" I joined in the laughter.

"That would be funny!" I said, "Ha ha ha!"

"Hee hee hee!" Nero said, "You children are like three clowns!"

"Ho ho ho!" Count Olaf laughed.

"Ha ha ha!" Violet said, smiling brightly as she reached up and tried to get to Coach Genghis' turban. "I'm going to rip this off," she said, pretending she was joking, "and show off your one eyebrow!"

"Hee hee hee!" Nero said, his pigtails shook as he laughed, "You're like three trained monkeys!"

Klaus crouched to the ground and grabbed one of Genghis' feet. "And I'm going to rip your shoes off," he said, also pretending he was joking, "And I'm going to reveal your tattoo!"

"And I'm going to rip off this wig and show who I really am," I said, beginning to pull it off but, I was stopped when Coach Genghis grabbed my arm. I saw he had also grabbed Violet and Klaus, halting them from revealing his disguise.

"Of course," Count Olaf said seriously, "I can't take off my running shoes, because I've been exercising and my feet smell, and I can't take off my turban for religious reasons. And my daughter is not wearing a wig at all."

Nero stopped laughing. "Oh, Coach Genghis, we wouldn't ask you to violate your religious beliefs, and I certainly don't want your feet stinking up my office. And wig or no wig, we wouldn't ask your daughter to remove it."

I was about to speak when Nero spoke over me.

"Joke time is over!" he announced. "Thank you for brightening up my morning, children. Good-bye, and enjoy your breakfast without silverware! Now, Coach Genghis, what can I do for you?"

"Drat!" Sunny shrieked.

"Well Nero," he said, and rambled on about Nero's concert.

Nero moved us from his office, shutting the door behind us.

We looked at each other disappointedly.

"We were so close," I said.

"Being close isn't good enough, though," Violet said, "not if we're trying to reveal who Coach Genghis really is."

We sighed and walked to the cafeteria to find that they were serving scrambled eggs. Fortunately, the Quagmire's offered to share their silverware with us. Klaus and I shared with Isadora and Duncan shared with Violet.

"How did everything go in Nero's office?" Isadora asked.

"Not well," I said.

"Coach Genghis showed up," Klaus said, "and we didn't want him to know that we knew who he really was."

"He probably knows now," I muttered, "or has some clue. Before he came into the office, he told me that he knew that you three knew."

"How did he find out?" Violet asked, surprised.

"He figured that the reason why I was hanging with you three was because I told you who I was," I said, "but he didn't realize that even if you didn't know, I probably wouldn't be sitting with those other kids. He was a little surprised to see you joking around. I think now he's just confused."

Isadora pulled out her notebook and showed us a new poem she had written:

_"It would be a stroke of luck,_

_ if Coach Genghis were hit by a truck."_

"That's my latest poem," she said, when she was done, "I know it's not very helpful, but I thought you might like to hear it."

"I did like hearing it," Klaus said, "and it certainly would be a stroke of luck if that happened."

"I wouldn't bet on it happening, though," I added.

"We'll think of another plan then," Duncan said.

"I really hope so," Violet said, "Count Olaf is pretty fast with putting his evil schemes into action."

"Last time was probably the most amount of time for him to scheme," I said, "mostly because I had to convince Mr. Lance and Mr. Poe to let him adopt me." I shuddered, "I don't like being known as his 'daughter'."

"Technically," Klaus said, "he isn't your real guardian because he signed his name as Alfonso."

"That's a relief," I said, "I'll be sure to point that out the next time he calls me that."

"Kosbal!" Sunny shrieked suddenly.

I knew what she meant immediately and my attention turned to see a smug looking girl with carrot red hair marching toward our table.

"What do you want?" I said, sourly.

She placed her hands on hips. "I've got a special message for you from Coach Genghis. I'm his Special Messenger because I'm the cutest, prettiest, nicest girl in the whole school."

"Oh, stop bragging, Carmelita," Duncan said.

"You're just jealous," Carmelita replied, looking me over. She looked like she was trying to figure out why she recognized me. "Because Coach Genghis likes me best instead of you cakesniffers."

"Cakesniffer?" I said, "I can't believe you still use that term. No one understands what you're talking about, well except for me."

Carmelita looked surprised. "How do you know about that?" she hissed.

I glanced at the Baudelaire's and winked. I stood up and reached to yank off the wig on top of my head and let down my familiar blonde hair so it reached past my shoulders.

Her eyes grew wide like saucers for an instant before her lips curved into a smirk.

"Jane?" she said, through an almost sneer.

I wasn't sure what to say so I just waited for her to continue. I'd done my part and now, I wasn't quite sure what I should do.

"It's you, isn't it Jane?" she was smirking, "I guess I should've known it was you under that wig. You were always a big liar and now you're lying about who you are?"

"No I'm not," I said, "I have other more important reasons why I'm wearing this wig."

"Oh, right," Carmelita said, "it's because of what you did, right? You're lying to these cakesniffers about who you are and how you were kicked out of our last school."

My friends gave me a confused look.

"That wasn't my fault and you know it," I hissed back at Carmelita Spats, "but why don't you explain to everyone why you're here."

"Alright," she said, "I came here because my parents didn't want me to go to a boarding school with mad people like you. They said with a past like yours, you were bound to have issues."

"Jane is not mad," Klaus snapped back at Carmelita.

"Okay," Carmelita said, "if she's not insane to you now, then why don't you hear about what she did? How she nearly set the school on fire? Tell him Jane. Tell your cakesniffing boyfriend what happened that night."

I looked at Klaus who was looking anxious and confused. I couldn't stand Carmelita, she always had to twist everything around to make me seem like the bad guy. But what happened was an accident and it wasn't my entire fault either.

"First of all, he's not my boyfriend," I said, blushing, "and second, you're an even bigger liar than I am. If you're trying to ruin my life by trying to get me to tell the truth, then fine, I'll tell Klaus and my other friends the _entire_ truth. But since I left that school, I've been the happiest I've ever been so no matter what happened that night, I wouldn't change it. It took me a long time to realize this but the only real cakesniffer here is you. So go and tell your friends and anyone you want what your perspective of that night was but it won't change what really happened."

I brushed past Carmelita, who was glaring icily at me, and headed for the library.

Carmelita wasn't the real reason why I was upset. I knew that secret was awful but the only reason why I was reluctant to tell Klaus or anyone was because…I couldn't remember a lot of what happened that night…and I wasn't entirely sure who had set the fire. But I was positive that Carmelita was partially to blame. If it weren't for that secret club she created and persuaded me to join last year, then I wouldn't have been put in that position.

I don't know why I chose to come to the library instead of my room but, it had become a place of comfort to me. I sat down in one of the comfy chairs away from the few other students here.

It wasn't long when I saw Klaus approaching. Klaus hesitated when he saw me.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

I couldn't look him in the eyes and I couldn't find my words. "Klaus," I managed, "something bad happened, it was really bad."

"Is that what Carmelita Spats was talking about?" Klaus asked.

I nodded, staring at my hands.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," Klaus said, sitting down in the chair beside me.

I furrowed my eyebrows. "I don't think I can last one more day without talking about it," I said.

"Then tell me what happened," Klaus said, "and I won't make any judgments until you've explained everything."

"Alright," I sighed, "so it all started in early March of last year…"

_(Flashback)_

_The school glowed eerily on the hill it sat on. A forest surrounded it on all sides where the trees were growing blossoms on their moss-covered branches. Crickets chirped outside though the rest of the forest was silent as if the animals could foresee the on coming danger._

_A cool evening breeze rushed through the window, making me shiver. Carmelita and her friends were still teasing me but I'd grown used to it. I was curled up in my bed, doing the last bit of my homework before going to sleep. That was when Carmelita came in with a friend. They were laughing about something and whispering to each other. When they noticed me in my bed they smirked._

_ "Clean up around here, you cakesniffer," Carmelita demanded, "I want it to be extra tidy in here when I get back."_

_ "I'm only cleaning up my stuff," I said, sitting up, "not yours too."_

_ Carmelita narrowed her eyes and then she shrugged. "Fine," she decided, "I was thinking of inviting you to join our secret club tonight…but if you don't want to…I guess you don't have to…"_

_ "A secret club?" I asked, eagerly, scooting off of my bed. "What's the club for?"_

_ Carmelita exchanged glances with her friend, I was sure her name was Cecilia and she was part of Carmelita's posse._

_ "Well, we can't really say," Carmelita said, "since it is a secret. But if you came, maybe you'll find out…that is…if you want to…"_

_ "I do want to," I said, smiling. Maybe if I became apart of this club, I could convince them all that I wasn't the poor, cakesniffing orphan that they thought I was._

_ "Alright," Carmelita said, "but there are some things you'll have to do before you can become a real member."_

_ "Like what?" I asked._

_ "Well," Carmelita started, "first you have to swear that you'll do anything I tell you to. Say, 'I swear for as long as I am a member of this secret club, to do whatever you say'."_

_ "I won't say that," I said._

"_Then I guess you can't join us," Carmelita said, "Come on, Cecilia, let's hurry."_

_ They started for the door._

_ "Wait!" I cried causing them to pause in the doorway. I didn't want to miss out on this opportunity even if I had to do things for Carmelita and her friends, I was already bossed around, there wasn't much else they could do. But I could also get them to like me if I joined. So I repeated Carmelita's words._

_ She smiled. "Come on then," Carmelita said, "follow us."_

_ I followed them out of the room and outside. It was a little chilly outside and I shivered._

_ "Where are we going?" I asked._

_ "Shh," Carmelita said, "if you want to be in this club you have to be very secretive about everything."_

_ I shrugged but I continued to follow them in silence. They brought me to the fence and Cecilia crawled through a hole at the bottom of it. _

_ "Wait," I said, when Carmelita was beginning to follow, "we're not allowed to be outside the school grounds at night without permission."_

_ Carmelita rolled her eyes. "Well we're not going to get caught as long as you can keep your mouth shut, cakesniffer."_

_ She crawled through and kept walking with Cecilia, not waiting for me to join them. I paused, glancing behind me at the school. I didn't want to get in trouble. I was already punished enough for things that weren't my fault and I didn't want to be expelled either._

_ But maybe Carmelita was right. If we were careful, no one would see us. Besides, not many of the teachers were outside at night. Only the janitors were up and other staff members with similar jobs. _

_ So without another glance behind me, I crawled through the opening and ran to catch up with the others. I was surprised to see more of Carmelita's friends now. They glanced at me and smirked as they usually did. Obviously none of them liked that I was in their club._

_ Carmelita stopped at a tree far enough into the forest so no adults could find us but even Carmelita was scared of going too far in there. We went no further than to the tool shack that was very old and musty. I wondered why we had stopped there. The shack hadn't been used in years and students were banned from going inside. It was rumored that one time a kid went inside the shack and his skeleton was found in front of the doorstep the very next day. Skeptics at the school said that it was just a phony story to scare little kids but I was still scared of it. I knew Carmelita was too because we had watched _Blair Witch Project_ when she had managed to sneak it into school. That was one of the times when I had been eavesdropping, which was one of my biggest regrets._

_ "Welcome to our first club meeting," Carmelita announced, "I am the queen of this club and so you all have to do what I say. And since Jane just joined tonight, she has to do something in order to earn her membership."_

_ "But I thought I became a member just now," I protested, "I made that promise to you."_

_ "You can't become a member until you pass a special test," Cecilia said, as if it were obvious._

_ "Alright, fine," I said, sighing, "what do you want me to do?"_

_ Carmelita paused and her friends looked at her, eagerly awaiting her demand. _

_ "You have to go in there," Carmelita pointed to the shack, "and you can't come out until we tell you to."_

_ I gaped. "I'm not going in there," I said, giving the shack a worried glance._

_ Carmelita pouted and put her hands firmly on her hips. "You have to," she said, "and if you don't then you won't be allowed to join unless you want to be our maid or butler."_

_ "I'm not a maid or a butler," I argued, "and I'm not going to get in trouble."_

_ "Alright," Carmelita said, "then we'll tell the Headmistress that we found you outside of the school grounds and then you'll be expelled."_

_ I would've pointed out that she would get in trouble too but I stopped myself when I realized that Carmelita Spats never got caught doing anything. She always got her way no matter what._

_ So we walked over to the shack and they waited for me to go inside. I hesitated outside the door._

_ "Come on, Jane," Carmelita insisted, "go get it or you can't be apart of our club."_

_ I hesitated. On one hand, I was terrified of getting caught but on the other hand…I really wanted them to like me and they would tell on me if I didn't. I glanced back towards the school again. It was completely dark and I felt a shiver run down my spine though it wasn't because of the cold._

_ "I can't do it," I said, "I'm not going in there."_

_ "Then you'll never be apart of our club," she warned._

_ "I'm not about to risk getting in trouble just so I can join your club," I said._

_Her eyes narrowed. "You're going in whether you like it or not," Carmelita said, and her friends laughed._

"_Orphan in the shack!" Carmelita started to chant. Her friends instantly joined in and I was shoved inside. The door slammed behind me but, I could still here their chants._

_Inside, it was too dark to see much of anything the shack was filthy, cobwebs covered the ceiling, and tools used by the staff who worked as mechanics, groundskeepers, or cafeteria workers were scattered around the room. There were two windows on the sidewalls but they were up high and very narrow._

_ In a panic, I grasped for the doorknob however, to my despair, it was locked._

_ "Open the door," I cried, their laughs increased in volume._

_ After a few desperate tries, I gave up and started to back up into the shack. But suddenly, something caught the leg of my pants and as I tried to free it, I heard a strange noise. It was a crackling noise coming from outside of the shack._

_ I found a few boxes and stacked them on top of each other. I stood on them and peered out the thin windows. I could see the line of trees that surrounded the forest and as I looked past the trees closest to the shack. I gasped. A flame had sprouted in the forest by an unknown cause. It was spreading rapidly. A tremor of fear surged through me._

_ The fire was getting closer, inching its way forward to burn anything in its path. I jumped off of the boxes and tried the door again but it was still locked._

_ "Help!" I yelled as loud as I could, "Help!"_

_ I desperately tried ramming hard against the wooden door. The fire had reached the back of the shack and was beginning to grow inside the shack._

_ "Help!" I screamed as the fire inched forward, drops of sweat formed on my neck and my back. I felt like I was in an oven and it was hard to breathe. Tears filled my eyes and streamed down my cheeks. I knew this was the end and I would surely die._

_ "Help!" I screamed louder as my last attempt. I rammed as hard as I could against the door._

_ As I stepped back again to try again, I was horrified to see the flames inches away from me. I started banging on the door and continued to holler for help. No one was coming._

_When I felt the first flame lick my right leg, I screamed, the burning was unbearable. It felt like my ankle was touching a hair straightener. I pulled it out of the fire and backed up further. I tried the door again and felt searing pain on my lower back as a flame burned through my shirt. The door to the shack suddenly fell off of its hinges and crashed to the forest floor._

_I fell forward with the door and crawled out of the path of the hungry flames but I wasn't quick enough to avoid a spark that flew out from the crackling fire and scorched my neck. My scream sent a chill down my spine and I got to my feet. I limped back down the forest path the way I had come. Smoke filled the air, suffocating me and making it difficult to see._

_I stayed low to the ground and kept moving until I reached the fence. With the last bit of my strength, I climbed over and let myself fall to the ground on the other side. My vision was blurry all of the sudden and I felt very, very tired but I could still see the fiery glow, tearing down the forest and its secrets with it. Then, suddenly, there was nothing but darkness surrounding me._

"When I woke up I was in the nurse's office," I said, "I couldn't remember much of what happened. I got a few scars from the burns that are still there." I showed Klaus my ankle that had a small white scar on it. I couldn't feel much on my leg because some of the nerves had been damaged. I then pointed to the one on my neck. It was the smallest scar, barely noticeable. The one on my lower back was probably the worst one and I always felt self-conscious in gym class when we had to change because I didn't wan people to ask about it. "There's one on my back too," I continued, "The next day I found out that I'd been accused of burning down the shack. I tried to prove my innocence but when you're up against Carmelita Spats, it's hard because everyone always believes her. They said it made more sense that I burned it down because I was a lonely orphan who wasn't raised properly."

"But Carmelita Spats bullied you," Klaus said, "didn't you tell them that?"

"She's just like Count Olaf in the sense that she always wriggles herself out of everything," I said, "I never told anyone because of that and the fact that I knew none of them would believe me."

"What happened after that?" Klaus asked.

"Well, I had to go through a number of meetings regarding it," I said, "the Headmistress expelled me and I wasn't completely certain until today what happened to Carmelita. The school was still a little suspicious of her so I'm guessing they kicked her out too. That's probably why her parents sent her here."

"Mr. Poe came to the school when I was expelled," I continued, "he was speaking with the Headmistress who explained everything to him. I was told that my parents had chosen him to handle my affairs, like my fortune, if needed. Mr. Poe couldn't find any relatives of mine. It was as if my parents' families had been deceased or something. So I was taken to live with Mr. Poe until he could find me a new guardian. Somehow Count Olaf must have been contacted by Mr. Poe to be my guardian. It seemed almost too ironic that it was the same day that you lost your parents. I've already told you what happened after that."

Klaus was now staring at the pattern in the chair. He looked up at me, looking very serious.

"Do you think he knew the whole time?" Klaus asked, "Do you think Count Olaf planned to get us in his clutches before our parents were killed?"

"I don't know," I whispered, "the fire couldn't have been an accident, could it?"

"Well, did you see anyone there?" Klaus asked, "when you were at our home when it burned down…who did you see?"

Klaus was staring at me expectantly. I recalled my memory of that day. I hadn't seen many people besides the witnesses. I did in fact see Monty Kensicle at the scene of the fire. But he couldn't have done it, could he?

"I saw Monty Kensicle," I said, quietly.

Klaus didn't say anything and I stared at him, not knowing what I should say or do.

"What if he _is_ dangerous?" Klaus said.

"No, Klaus," I said, "He didn't do it, I swear. You have no other proof than the fact that he was a witness."

"But there's no evidence to prove he's innocent either, is there?" Klaus said, and although I hated to admit it, I knew he was right.

"He wasn't the only person I saw," I said, suddenly recalling another memory of a black car. "Count Olaf was there too."

"How do you know?" Klaus asked.

"I saw him," I said, "he was in his car, driving up the road just a few miles away."

"A conspiracy then," Klaus said, "Maybe they were working together."

"Klaus, that's ridiculous," I cried, "Monty was helping me work against Count Olaf and he's detailed our lives in some novels."

"He might be working against him now," Klaus said, "but that doesn't mean he isn't dangerous. He's probably using you to get something and doesn't writing down our lives sound a little odd to you?"

"Maybe a little," I admitted, "but…"

"But nothing, Jane," Klaus said, "he's dangerous and you need to stop seeing him."

"You're forgetting that the same thing happened to me," I pointed out, "I was accused of starting a fire too, but I didn't do it. It just goes to show that you can't judge people until you see it from their perspective and nothing is ever the way it seems."

Klaus frowned, realizing what he'd done. "That's not the same thing," he said, "I know you and because of that, I know that you'd never do that to anyone. But this Monty Kensicle is lying to you."

"But even if he did do it," I said, "what could Monty possibly have against your parents? He told me he cared about them. Why would your parents befriend someone who they couldn't trust with their lives?"

"Maybe he changed," Klaus said, glancing out the window where we could see the front lawn. "And maybe my parents trusted the wrong people. Which is why you shouldn't trust him."

I didn't say anymore and neither did Klaus. I still refused to believe him and Klaus refused to believe me.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Review please! <strong>_

_**Thanks to everyone who has been reviewing so far! **_**:)**

_**What did you think?**_


	9. SORE

**Hey readers! Here's a new chapter! This one took a little longer since i've been busy all week studying for finals which start on Friday for me :(**

**Anyways, this chapter worked out perfectly because i did this fundraiser on the weekend for cancer reasearch called Relay For Life and we had to stay up all night walking (not running fortunately) around the track which made me think of the S.O.R.E. program.**

**R&R please! :)**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Nine: S.O.R.E.<strong>

Classes started for me today. I was in Mrs. Bass' class, which was very frustrating because all she did was have us measure all kinds of objects. Fortunately, Klaus and Isadora were in my class. Even they couldn't stand it and sometimes we'd look at each other and stick our tongues out to say how bored we were.

What made it worse was that Carmelita Spats was also in my class and whenever I was near her she'd poke me with a ruler, shove me, or call me names like 'freak', 'cakesniffer', of course, and a load of other names. She also told everyone what I supposedly did so now her friends so they just stay away from me or if they're feeling bold, they'll call me names too. It wasn't too different than what happened at the Ontario Boarding School. I was just glad that this time I wasn't alone. Klaus and Isadora would defend me when Carmelita treated me that way even though I told them not to worry too much about it.

At lunch, Isadora and Duncan weren't there so the Baudelaire's and I had to eat the spaghetti with our hands. Violet, Klaus, and Sunny explained that Carmelita Spats had told them that they were supposed to meet Coach Genghis on the front lawn after dinner. I was supposed to come too and when I asked why, they said Carmelita didn't say.

So for the rest of lunch, we were busy worrying about what Coach Genghis might be planning for us. None of us were even close to guessing.

By the time it was dinner, we were so absorbed in worries about last night that when the Quagmire's sat down at the table we barely acknowledged their presence until they both said, "We've solved your problem."

"Oh, thank goodness," Violet said, "you startled me."

"I thought you'd be relieved," Duncan said, "We said we solved your problem."

"We're startled and relieved," Klaus said.

"How could you have solved our problem?" I asked, "We're not even close to figuring it out ourselves."

"And we don't know how we can avoid meeting him after dinner either," Klaus said.

"Maybe he's going to do the same thing he did to me last time," I said, "he's going to present you with an ultimatum so you'll have to give him what he wants."

"Is that what happened?" Violet asked.

I nodded.

"At first I thought we should contact Mr. Poe," Klaus said, "but I knew if an advanced computer system couldn't detect Count Olaf's presence than neither will an average banker."

Sunny shrieked in agreement.

"We've been thinking about it all day too," Isadora said, "We made a ton of notes. I have five pages and Duncan has three pages."

"I write smaller," Duncan explained.

"Right before lunch we compared notes," Isadora continued, "and we came up with the same idea so we snuck away and put our plan into action."

"That's why we missed lunch," Duncan said, "You'll notice that there are puddles on our tray instead of glasses."

"You can share our glasses," I offered, handing mine to Isadora. She smiled. I'd grown to like her since we were roommates.

"But what is your plan?" Klaus asked, "What did you put into action?"

The Quagmire's glanced at each other and looked at us triumphantly.

"We propped open the back door of the auditorium," Duncan said, then they leaned back against their seats.

I frowned, confused.

"Excuse me?" I asked, "I don't understand what you mean."

"How could propping open the back door of the auditorium solve our problem?" Violet asked.

"Don't you see?" Isadora said, "We're going to sit in the back of the auditorium tonight, and as soon as Nero begins his concert, we will tiptoe out and sneak over to the front lawn. That way, we can keep an eye on you and Coach Genghis. If anything fishy happens, we will run back to the concert and alert Vice Principal Nero."

"It's the perfect plan, don't you think?" Duncan asked. "I'm rather proud of my sister and me, if I do say so myself."

The Baudelaire's and I exchanged glances. I knew they were as doubtful as I was of the Quagmire's plan. It was nice of them to help us but I wasn't sure if spying on us would do much against Coach Genghis.

"We appreciate you trying to solve our problem," Klaus said, trying not to offend them, "but Count Olaf is an extremely treacherous person. He always has something up his sleeve. I wouldn't want you to get into any danger on our behalf."

"Nonsense," Isadora said firmly, "you're in danger, and it's up to us to help you. And we're not frightened of Olaf. I'm confident this plan is a good one."

"I don't think you understand just how awful he is," I said, "When I met the Baudelaire's and then Count Olaf, I wasn't frightened of him either. But look what happened, I was forced to go into his clutches. Don't be so confident and be very careful whatever you do. If he finds out about your fortune he'll be after you for sure."

"We will," Duncan said, "but we're not going to sit around and let Count Olaf get you either."

* * *

><p>After dinner Violet, Klaus, Sunny, and I walked across the front lawn as the sunset over the horizon. The grass was brown and I realized that for some reason, it didn't snow much here even though it was January. The Baudelaire's were oddly quiet and their quietness caused me to worry.<p>

"It'll be okay," I told them, though I wasn't sure. I hadn't given the evening much thought since I had already been taken into his clutches so there wasn't much else he could do until he had my fortune. But I began to worry for the Baudelaire's. I didn't want Count Olaf to get away with kidnapping them too.

The Baudelaire's didn't say anything.

"The Quagmire's should have snuck out by now," I said, "they'll keep a good eye on us and make sure nothing goes wrong."

"I just wish they weren't becoming so involved in this," Klaus said, "it was bad enough when Count Olaf started coming after you too."

"I agree," I said, "He might decide to go after them too."

We approached Coach Genghis. We stopped talking immediately.

"You're late," Coach Genghis said, his hands were behind his back, "Your instructions were to come here right after dinner and you're late."

"We're very sorry," Violet said, "It took us longer to eat our dinner without silverware."

"What's so important about this meeting anyways?" I said.

"You'll find out soon enough," Coach Genghis said, "And why didn't you just share silverware with one of your friends."

"We didn't think of that," Klaus lied, "You are definitely an intelligent man."

"Not only am I intelligent," Coach Genghis agreed, "but I'm also very smart. Now-"

"That means the exact same thing," I pointed out.

"And if you're going to keep interrupting," Coach Genghis said, "then I'll have to give you more work. Now, even stupid children like yourselves should remember what I said about orphans having excellent bone structure for running. So you're going to do Special Orphan Running Exercises, or S.O.R.E. for short."

"Ooladu!" Sunny shrieked.

"My sister means that she is very excited," Violet said, though I knew Sunny meant nothing of the sort.

"I'm glad you're so enthusiastic," he said, "Enthusiasm can make up for a lack of brain power." He produced a bucket filled with luminous paint and a long, prickly paintbrush. "First we'll need to make a track. It's luminous paint so it glows in the dark."

"I'm pretty sure everyone here understands what the word 'luminous' means," I said, "plus, you're talking to Klaus who can define and describe nearly every word in the dictionary." I smiled at Klaus who blushed.

"Well if you children are so smart," Coach Genghis said, "let's see you paint a large circle on the lawn. Can you do that?"

"I think we can handle that," I said, grabbing the brush and the paint. The bucket was kind of heavy and I was glad Klaus grabbed hold of it too. I was in charge of the brush and began to paint the circle.

Coach Genghis kept shouting orders at us like, "Bigger!" and "Wider!" until there was a very large, luminous circle painted on the lawn. "All right, that's big and wide enough!"

"What do you think we're really doing?" I heard Violet whisper.

"I can't be sure," Klaus said, "I haven't read many books on paint. I know that paint can sometimes be poisonous or cause birth defects. But Coach Genghis isn't making us eat the paint and neither you or Jane are pregnant, of course, so I can't imagine."

"That will do orphans," Coach Genghis said when we reached him, "Now take your marks and get ready to run when I blow my whistle. Don't stop running until I tell you to stop."

"_What?_" Violet said.

"_What?_" Coach Genghis mocked, "I know you heard me, little orphan girl. Now take your marks and start running when I blow my whistle."

"But Sunny is a baby," Klaus said, "she can't really run, at least not professionally."

"Then she may crawl as fast as she can," Coach Genghis said.

"Do we have to run?" I said, "Can't we do something else that requires exercise?"

"Of course not," Coach Genghis said, "these are Special Orphan Running Exercises specifically for running. Now on your marks, get set, go!"

He blew his shiny whistle and we began to run at a decent pace around the track. This, of course, wasn't new to me. At my last boarding school while everyone in my gym class played sports like basketball or soccer, I was forced to run laps because my parents weren't there to pay for me to go there. So this only brought back memories of my previous running exercises. But I had never run this long in my life. As we ran more and more laps, I even found myself growing extremely tired so that I lost track of time. Before I knew it, the sun was rising.

Coach Genghis at last stopped us and let us go. Exhausted, we walked back to our rooms. I was too tired to go back up to my dorm so the Baudelaire's let me share the shack with them. None of us bothered to put on our noisy shoes. I didn't have mine with me so the crabs pinched our feet but I was too tired to care. We closed our eyes to try and get in some sleep before the school day.

* * *

><p>"<em>What?<em>" Isadora said, after Klaus had explained last night's events.

"I said, 'After the sun rose, Coach Genghis had us stop running laps and let us go to bed'," Klaus said.

"My sister heard you," Duncan said, "but she didn't believe that's really what you said. I can scarcely believe it myself and I saw it with my own eyes."

"I can't believe it either," Violet said. She winced as she took a bite of the salad served to us at lunch.

"I'm so exhausted," I said, "and I think I have shin splints. I'm okay with running a few laps but running all night is just insane."

Klaus nodded in agreement. "I have a huge headache," he said. We glanced at Sunny who was using the salad for lunch as a pillow. It was adorable but concerning at the same time.

"I can't believe he kept you running all night," Isadora said, "I thought a helicopter was using the circle as a landing strip to take you away."

"Well, I'm sure Coach Genghis doesn't want to make a huge commotion about getting the Baudelaire's fortune," I said, "attention is the last thing he wants and a helicopter would only make it harder for him."

"That makes sense," Violet said, "But he's up to something, that's for sure, but I just can't figure out what it is."

"Of course you can't figure it out," Duncan said, "You're exhausted. It's a good thing my sister and I spied on you in shifts all last night. We can spend as much time as we have researching to figure it out. There must be something in the library."

"When in doubt, go to the library," I said, winking at Klaus who mustered a tired smile.

"I'll research too," Klaus said, "I'm quite good at it."

"I want to help too so we can stop Count Olaf," I said.

"We know you want to help," Isadora said, "but you need to rest. We'll do the research."

"You're right," Violet said, "we'll try and get through the day and get some rest when we can. Maybe at Nero's concert if the music is quiet."

Before anyone could speak any further, Carmelita approached our table again.

"Hello, cakesniffers," she said, then looked at me, "Well I guess you're more like saladsniffers after seeing the baby brat. I have another message for you from Coach Genghis. I get to be his Special Messenger because I'm the cutest, prettiest, nicest girl in the whole school."

"I really doubt that," I said, sourly, "after everything that you've done."

Carmelita gave me an icy glare. "I wouldn't be talking if I were you, psycho."

"And if you were really the nicest girl in school, you wouldn't make fun of a sleeping infant or call Jane psycho," Isadora added, "but anyways, what is the message?"

"It's really the same message as last time," Carmelita said, "but in case you're too stupid to remember, I'll repeat it. 'The three Baudelaire's are to report to the front lawn immediately after dinner tonight.'"

"_What?"_ Klaus said.

Carmelita put her hands on her hips. "Are you deaf too?"

"He meant that he was surprised," I said, "does that message include me too?"

Carmelita rolled her eyes. "I didn't mention your name, did I? Actually, Coach Genghis said you have to attend Nero's concert."

I groaned.

"Well, thanks for delivering us our message," Duncan said, "you can leave now."

"You still owe me a tip," Carmelita said, but went away.

Violet moved Sunny to her lap, "I can't believe Coach Genghis wants us to meet him again! I can barely walk, let alone, run."

"Maybe he's putting his real plan into action tonight," Duncan said.

"It looks like I'll be joining Isadora and Duncan in spying," I said, "that'll give us a lot more time to research too."

Isadora flipped open her notebook to the right page and read:

_"Don't worry Baudelaire's and Jane, don't feel disgrace—_

_The Quagmire triplets are on the case."_

"Thank you," Klaus said, "We're all thankful for your help. We're going to put our minds to the problem and if we're lucky, we can stop Coach Genghis."

* * *

><p>After a few more days of endless S.O.R.E. programs, the Baudelaire's were all so exhausted that they were receiving zeros on all kinds of assignments and Sunny had no staples left. Along with the bad grades, came bad moods.<p>

The Quagmire's and I had spied on the Baudelaire's every night hoping to find an explanation but it was useless. Coach Genghis' plan did not get any clearer even after nine more days.

"This is getting ridiculous," Isadora was saying at lunch following the tenth session, "Look at you, Sunny. It was inappropriate to hire you as an administrative assistant in the first place, and it's simply absurd to have you crawl laps by night and make your staples by day."

"Don't call my sister absurd or ridiculous!" Klaus cried.

"I'm not calling _her _ridiculous!" Isadora said, "I'm calling the situation ridiculous!"

"Ridiculous means you want to laugh at it," said Klaus, "and I don't want you laughing at us."

"I'm not laughing at you," Isadora said, "I'm trying to help."

Klaus snatched his glass from Isadora. "Well laughing at us doesn't help, you cakesniffer! Here Jane, you can use the glass because you aren't a cakesniffer." He gave me the glass to hold.

"Calling me names doesn't help either," Isadora said, taking the fork from Klaus. "Here Jane, you can use my fork because you don't call people cakesniffers." Isadora handed me her fork. I looked to Violet for help but she was napping. Duncan met my gaze and we sighed. Klaus and Isadora kept bickering.

"Would you stop?" I said, finally, "Isadora, can't you see that Klaus is exhausted? And Klaus, I know you probably can't see straight right now but Isadora is just frustrated and so am I. It's been ten days and we still don't know why Coach Genghis is making you run laps. Also, I'm a little worried about what else you're going to hand off to me."

Klaus took his glasses off. I gave him back the glass and he returned it to Isadora. "I'm too tired to see anything. I'm sorry, Isadora and Jane. Being tired makes me crabby. In a few days, I'll probably turn as nasty as Carmelita Spats."

"You could never be as nasty as Carmelita Spats," I said, "You wouldn't bully me so it's sort of ridiculous to compare yourself to someone like her. Count Olaf would make a better comparison."

I had told Violet, Sunny, and the Quagmire's about what happened with Carmelita Spats. Now they understood what I'd been keeping a secret from them. Klaus smiled tiredly at me. "You're right," he said, "he would make a much better comparison."

"I'm sorry too," Isadora said, I gave Isadora the fork and she returned it to Klaus.

"Carmelita Spats?" Violet said, lifting her head from the tabletop where she'd been napping. "She's not here with another message, is she?"

"Unfortunately, yes," Duncan said, as Carmelita Spats approached.

"Hello you cakesniffers," she said, "I have two messages for you today so I should really be getting two tips instead of one."

"Oh, Carmelita," Klaus said, "you haven't received a tip for the past nine days and I don't expect we'll break that tradition now."

"Jane will give me a tip, right?" Carmelita asked, expectantly.

"I wouldn't bet on it," I muttered, "I think I've done enough for you already."

"You're just a stupid cakesniffer," she sneered.

"And you're a redhead," I pointed out, "But go on with your message."

"The first message is the usual," Carmelita said.

Violet groaned.

"And the second message is: the Baudelaire's are to report to Vice Principal Nero's office immediately after breakfast," Carmelita said.

"Why?" I asked.

"I'm sorry," Carmelita said, "I don't answer questions from nontipping orphans, especially when you're a freak or a cakesniffer."

Carmelita's friends began their chant of "Orphans living in the Orphans Shack!" as the Baudelaire's stood.

"We'd better get to Nero's," Violet said, "We'll see you later, Jane, Duncan, and Isadora."

"Not by yourselves," I said.

"Yes," Duncan agreed, "We'll walk you. Carmelita Spats has made me loose my appetite so we'll skip lunch and take you to the administrative building. We won't go inside so we still have silverware but we'll wait outside and you can tell us what's going on."

"I wonder what Nero wants," Klaus said.

"Maybe he's finally realized that Coach Genghis is really Count Olaf," Isadora said.

"I highly doubt that," I said, "as long as Coach Genghis has Nero liking him, he won't question his identity."

* * *

><p>We waited outside of the administrative building as the Baudelaire's met with Nero. I stared out at the front lawn where the luminous circle sat. I was thinking of a way I could possibly help the Baudelaire's. I wasn't sure if Nero was going to give them good news. He just wasn't like that. So what if something went wrong and somehow Coach Genghis managed to convince Nero to give the Baudelaire's over to him like always. Nero wouldn't give it a second thought. So if it did happen, how could I stop it?<p>

"Jane, why don't you come over here?" Duncan asked, interrupting my thoughts, "We've decided to compare notes that we took on some old newspapers in the library. We think Count Olaf might have done other treacherous things before he came after you."

I turned away from the archway with the school's motto and went over to the Quagmire's as they discussed their findings.

"In the _Verona Daily_ a wealthy widow was pushed off of a cliff by a man with a similar appearance as Count Olaf," Duncan said, reading from a page in his notebook, "and in _Bangkok Gazette_ it says that a man strangled a bishop and escaped jail in less then ten minutes. Also, in the Baudelaire's hometown, there were disappearances that again described a suspect similar to Count Olaf. Not only that, but there was an article in the _Daily Punctilio_ with the headline: "_Arson Suspected in Destruction of Royal Gardens_," written by Jacques Snicket, but there was another one, which was more recent. The headline for that one was: "_Absolutely No Arson or Any Other Suspicious Thing Associated with the Royal Gardens, which Simply Burned to the Ground and Then Was Covered in Dirt Due to Wind, Says Official Fire Department_," by Geraldine Julienne. I'm not sure which one to believe though if it was arson, Olaf might have been involved."

"Count Olaf is definitely treacherous enough to do all that," I said, "I think I might have some information too. Not about Olaf but other things." I told them all about Monty Kensicle. "…He's writing down our lives in a notebook. He knows all about what happened to us."

They looked shocked. "Really?" Duncan said, excitedly, "Maybe we can publish all of it in the newspaper or something."

"He's already got that handled," I said, "he's on his way to publishing the first three already."

"Wow," Isadora said.

"He gave me a commonplace book like yours," I explained, pulling out my light blue one. I flipped to a page. "I've been writing journals detailing what happens and I've been taking all kinds of notes. That way he can easily get the information he needs."

They scanned the journals. "This is amazing," Isadora said, "you're a good writer and well, just the fact that there's someone who knows what you four have been going through is incredible."

"And he has a tattoo on his ankle," Duncan said, "I've been researching that and apparently it's a symbol for an organization called V.F.D."

"Really?" I asked, "Because he mentioned something about an organization of some sort. He never said what it was called."

"That's because it's supposed to be a secret organization," Isadora explained.

"What is it?" I asked.

Duncan and Isadora exchanged glances. "We're not sure what it stands for," Duncan said, "we'll have to look for more information about it."

"But we can't loose focus on helping the Baudelaire's," Isadora said, "so let's put that research aside for later."

We sighed. "Maybe when the Baudelaire's come out things will be clearer," I said.

Just as I said it, the Baudelaire's exited the administrative building looking very, very distressed.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Nero's making us take comprehensive exams tomorrow morning," Violet said, "and Sunny has to make new staples."

"And we have to buy him 27 bags of candy for all of the concerts we missed," Klaus added.

"Falud!" Sunny shrieked, which meant, "and give Carmelita Spats nine pairs of earrings as a tip."

"And if we don't pass," Klaus finished, "He's going to expel us and send us to Coach Genghis to be homeschooled. Of course we all know that's not his intention at all."

"That's horrible!" I cried in astonishment, "it's not your fault that you're exhausted. And you can't get A's if you have to run laps all night. Carmelita barely deserves nine pairs of earrings too."

"And there's no way you're going to be able to make all of those staples," Isadora said.

"You'll be in Coach Genghis' clutches before you know it," Duncan said.

"That's why he made us run all of those laps," Violet said, staring out to the front lawn, "He knew we would be exhausted. He knew we would flunk our classes or fail perform our secretarial duties. He knew we would be expelled from Prufrock Prep and then he could get his hands on us."

Klaus groaned. "We've been waiting for his plan to become made clear, and now it is. But it might be too late."

"Don't say that," I said, "it's not too late. We'll get you out of this. The Quagmire's and I will help you in whatever way we can. All we need is a plan like always."

"Plan!" Sunny shrieked in agreement.

"It will have to be a complicated plan," Duncan said, "Violet needs to study for Mr. Remora's exam, Klaus needs to study for Mrs. Bass' exam, and Sunny needs to make her own staples."

"And they still have to run laps," Isadora added.

"And stay awake," Klaus said.

"Maybe we should think about finding some coffee too," I said, "you're going to need it."

* * *

><p><strong>I'll try and update again some time next week if i have time :)<strong>

**meanwhile...Review!**


	10. The Thrill of Disguises

**Here's another chapter! I'm having a very good day today because i finished my last final and now it's SUMMER! :) I'll try and update more often now that i have more free time. I'm almost finished writing the next chapter which might be the last for this part!**

** R&R please!**

**To answer an earlier review by The skittles98- There won't be much of a love triangle between Jane/Klaus/Isadora. As you read in earlier chapters, she's a little bit jealous of Isadora and Klaus' friendship but she still likes Isadora. Also, in my non-ficverse, i always like Kladora because Isadora is really awesome. And there's going to be a stronger love triangle between Jane/Klaus/Fiona later...**

**Anyways...on to the story...**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 10: The Thrill of Disguises<strong>

The Baudelaires, Quagmires, and I were all squished inside the awful Orphans Shack discussing our plan. Duncan and Isadora were explaining their findings to the Baudelaires.

"…And then we found a newspaper," Duncan was saying, "from your hometown that said—"

"I don't mean to interrupt," Isadora said, "but we'd better stop thinking about the past and start thinking about the present. Lunchtime is more than half over, and we desperately need a plan."

"Isadora's right," I agreed, "as great as your research was, I don't think Count Olaf would use any of those other tactics in his scheme. He can't kill us unless he has our fortunes and honestly, I don't think many people have endured any thing close to what we have been through."

Duncan sighed half-heartedly. "I'm sorry our research hasn't helped."

"Don't worry about it," Klaus said, "it's not your fault."

"Violet," I said, "you've been very quiet. Are you awake?"

"Of course I'm awake," Violet replied, "I'm concentrating. I think I can invent something to make all of those staples Sunny needs. But I can't figure out how I can invent the device and study for the test at the same time. Since S.O.R.E. began, I haven't taken good notes in Mr. Remora's class, so I won't be able to remember his stories."

"Well, you don't have to worry about that," Duncan said, holding up his dark green notebook. "I've written down every one of Mr. Remora's stories. Every boring detail is recorded here in my notebook."

"And I've written how long, wide, and deep all of Mrs. Bass's objects are," Isadora said, holding up her notebook. "You can study from my notebook, Klaus, and Violet can study from Duncan's."

"I'll leave my notebook with you too, just in case," I said, giving them mine.

"Thank you," Klaus said, "but you're forgetting something. We're supposed to be running laps this evening. We don't have time to read anybody's notebook."

"Tarcour," Sunny said, which the Baudelaire's translated to mean, "You're right, of course. S.O.R.E. always lasts until dawn, and the tests are first thing in the morning."

"If only we had one of the world's greatest inventors to help us," Violet said, "I wonder what Nikola Tesla would do."

"Or one of the world's great journalists," Duncan said, "I wonder what Dorothy Parker would do in this situation."

"Ad I wonder what Hammurabi, the ancient Babylonian, would do to help us," Klaus said.

"Or the great poet Lord Byron," Isadora said.

"Or one of the greatest actresses, Grace Kelly or Marilyn Monroe," I said, "or one of the greatest lawyers, Atticus Finch, though he's not actually a real person."

"Shark," Sunny said.

"Who knows what any of those people or characters or fish would do in our shoes?" Violet said. "It's impossible to know."

Duncan snapped his fingers as he had an idea. "In our shoes!" he cried, "That's it!" I had been thinking about Grace Kelly at the moment and disguises when I heard this. So I began to grasp his idea, though I wasn't entirely sure.

"He's right," I said, happy that we figured out a plan.

"What do you mean?" Klaus asked, "How will our noisy shoes help?"

"No, no," Duncan said, "I meant Coach Genghis' expensive-looking running shoes that he said he couldn't take off because his feet were smelly.'

"And I bet they are smelly," Isadora said, "I've noticed he doesn't bathe much."

"You should see his house," I muttered.

Isadora wrinkled her nose in disgust at the thought.

"But Coach Genghis does wear them because his feet are smelly," Violet said, "he wears them for a disguise."

"Exactly," I said.

"When you said 'in our shoes' it gave me an idea," Duncan said, "What if we were actually in your shoes?"

"How would that work?" Klaus asked.

"Disguises, of course," I said, "We could disguise ourselves as you three so you can study."

"We'll run the laps," Duncan said.

"Disguise yourselves as us?" Klaus said, "You three don't look like us at all."

"I still have my wig," I said, reaching into my pocket and putting it on my head. "It's nearly the same color as Violet's. Of course I would need her hair ribbon. Other than that, I'm all set. Not to brag, but I'm good at imitating people verbally and physically."

"Really?" Violet asked.

I nodded and Violet handed me her hair ribbon. I took a moment to focus and then I mimicked Violet's way of tying her hair up in a ribbon. I paid attention to every detail. "How do you do?" I said, in a voice that sort of mimicked Violet's, "I'm Violet Baudelaire. I'm fourteen years old and I have a brother named Klaus and a sister, Sunny."

"Neap!" Sunny shrieked, which meant, "Bravo."

"That was a good imitation," Klaus said, "but is it enough to fool Coach Genghis? Violet's taller than you, no offense."

"We won't have to worry about that," Duncan said, "it'll be dark enough that Coach Genghis won't be able to tell. I can take Klaus' glasses. And Isadora could crawl and be Sunny."

"That might be more difficult than it sounds," Isadora said, "I'm not small enough to look like a baby even crawling."

"I suppose you could be Violet," I said, "you won't have to say much anyways and if you need tips I can give you some. I can go as myself." I took out the hair ribbon and handed it back to Violet. "You can use my wig too since it looks more like Violet's hair."

"Thanks, Jane," she said, "but we still need a Sunny."

"Perhaps a bag of flour," Duncan suggested, "Sunny's only about as big as a bag of flour—nothing personal, Sunny."

"Denada," Sunny said, shrugging.

"We could snitch a bag of flour from the cafeteria," Isadora said, "and drag it along side us as we ran. From a distance, it would probably look like Sunny enough to not raise suspicion."

"We could switch shoes too," Duncan added, "so we sound the same when we run."

"Being in our shoes seems like an extremely risky plan," Violet said, "If it fails, not only will we be in trouble but who knows what Coach Genghis will do to you?"

"I'll be there with them," I said, "and I won't let Coach Genghis harm a hair on their heads."

"I know you're tough, Jane," Violet said, "but you might get hurt too."

"You know I'll do it if it means I'll be helping you," I said, "and so will the Quagmire's I'm sure. Though I don't like to put them at risk either."

"Besides," Duncan said, "it's the only plan we've been able to come up with. And we don't have much time for anything else."

"And we need to snitch the bag of flour from the cafeteria before we're late to class," Isadora said.

"And find a string to attach to it so we can drag it along and make it look like Sunny crawling," Duncan added.

"And I'll need to snitch some things, too," Violet added, "for my staple-making invention."

"Nidop," Sunny said, which meant, "Then let's get moving."

So we put on our regular shoes and hurried over to the cafeteria, feeling nervous about snitching stuff. I had a nervous feeling about tonight's plan. I wanted to help the Baudelaires but it was very risky like they said.

* * *

><p>"This is a little exciting," Duncan said, after dinner that evening. We were in the Orphans Shack again preparing for our plan to be put into action, "I know that we are doing this for serious reasons, but I'm excited anyways."<p>

_"It may not be particularly wise,_

_but it's a thrill to be disguised,"_ Isadora recited fluidly.

"That's how I always feel when I'm in costume for a play," I said, "it feels like I'm a different person. When we did Through the Looking Glass as the play at our last boarding school, I was the Red Queen so I got to where this red cape and a crown. Just that simple costume made me feel like I was the Red Queen which made playing her a lot of fun."

"You did do a great job in the play," Violet remarked, "I even enjoyed you performance even though I find Lewis Carroll to be a bit too whimsical for my taste. Klaus did a good job too."

Klaus shook his head. "Jane is the actor, not me," he said.

"That's okay," I said, "I think you still managed to do a good job."

Klaus gave me a small smile. "Thanks, Jane."

"How do we look?" Isadora asked.

The Baudelaires and I stepped back to study the Quagmires. Unfortunately, Klaus' glasses, my wig, and Violet's ribbon did not seem to make them look any more like the Baudelaires, which made this plan more risky than I thought.

"I know we don't look much like you," Duncan said, "But remember, it's quite dark on the front lawn. The only light is coming from the luminous circle. We'll make sure to keep our heads down when we're running, so our faces won't give us away."

"And I can do most of the talking," I added, "so he won't recognize their voices."

"And we have your wig, hair ribbon, glasses, and shoes, so our accessories won't give us away, either," Isadora said.

"We don't have to go through this plan," Violet said softly. "We appreciate your help but we don't have to try and fool Coach Genghis. My siblings and I could just run away right now, tonight. We've gotten to be pretty good runners, so we'd have a good head start on Coach Genghis."

"Are you crazy?" I said, "Do you actually think I'd let you runoff like that? Besides, if you runaway, he'll win and we can't let that happen no matter what we have to do to prevent him from getting you in his clutches."

"I guess you're right, Jane," Klaus said, sighing, "besides, if we ran away, how would we help you escape Olaf's clutches?"

"And if I happened to go running off with you, it wouldn't be the best thing…" I trailed off, "Count Olaf said once that if I ever snuck off, he'd hunt me down."

They grimaced.

"We could call Mr. Poe," Klaus suggested, "and tell him about what happened and how Jane is here."

"He thought you were being forced into child labor somewhere in Maine," Violet said.

"Well, if those chores Olaf assigns me counts as child labor than Mr. Poe isn't all wrong," I muttered, "but Mr. Poe would be the least helpful."

"Zubu!" Sunny shrieked, meaning, "we could ask him to send us to a different school and use different names."

"Olaf would find you wherever you go," I said, "he's done so for the past months."

"This is our only chance," Duncan said, "If you pass the exams without arousing Genghis's suspicion, you will be out of danger, and then we can focus our efforts on exposing the coach for who he really is."

"I suppose you're right," Violet said. "I just don't like the idea of you putting your lives in such danger, just to help us."

"What are friends for?" Isadora said. "We're not going to attend some silly recital while you run laps to your doom. You three were the first people, besides Jane, of course, at Prufrock Prep who weren't mean to us just for being orphans. None of us have a family, including Jane, so we have to stick together."

"Just like you told me last time," I said to Klaus and we shared a smile. Then he frowned.

"At least let us go with you to the front lawn," Klaus said. "We'll spy on you from the archway, and make sure you're fooling Coach Genghis."

Duncan shook his head no. "You don't have time to spy on us," he said, "You have to make staples and study for two comprehensive exams."

"Besides," I said, "I'll be doing most of the watching and I'll make sure they're safe."

"Oh!" Isadora said, abruptly. "How will we drag this bag of flour around the track? We need a string or something."

"We could just kick it around the circle," Duncan said.

"That's awful," I said.

"No, no, no," Klaus said at the same time, "If Coach Genghis thinks your kicking your baby sister, he'll know something is up."

"I know!" Violet said. She reached out and placed her fingers on Duncan's wool sweater. I watched her, curious as to what she was doing. Then she pulled at on of the strings until a long loose thread unraveled and snapped it off. She attached it to the bag of flour. The other end she handed to Duncan. "That should do it," she said, "I'm sorry about your sweater."

"It's okay," Duncan said, sweetly, "You can probably invent a sewing machine later and fix it when we're all out of danger. Well, we'd better go, Isadora and Jane. Coach Genghis will be waiting. Good luck with studying."

"Good luck with running laps," Klaus said, then he glanced at me worriedly, "will you be okay?"

"Don't worry," I said, "I will be perfectly fine, maybe a little tired from running but that's all. Bye."

"Wait," Klaus said, taking my hand in his, "there's something I need to tell you before you go." I glanced over at Violet who was talking to Duncan before returning my gaze to Klaus.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I…um…I…" Klaus stuttered.

"Look," I said, softly, "tell me when I get back. You're too tired to think right now." Duncan and Isadora were waiting by the door to the Orphans Shack. I smiled apologetically for making them wait.

Klaus caught my wrist and I switched my gaze back to him. "But what if he takes you?" he asked, "What if Coach Genghis takes you away again?"

"He won't," I said, though I wasn't entirely sure. I didn't want to discourage Klaus when he needed to study, I couldn't have him be worried. "At least not tonight. Tomorrow morning maybe we can focus on getting me out of his clutches. But right now, you and your siblings are far more important." Klaus was silent and stared at his feet. "Besides," I added, "even if I have to leave, I'll always find a way back. I promise." I gave him a hug and squeezed him tightly. He returned my hug but remained silent even as I followed the Quagmires and the bag of flour out the door.

* * *

><p>We walked across the front lawn as the sun set over the horizon creating a pretty pink glow which seemed to be the only thing pleasant about this evening. A light breeze lifted up my hair and made me shiver. Isadora and Duncan were beside me, towing Sunny or the bag of flour along with them.<p>

"Listen," I said to them and halted. They paused too giving me curious looks. I glanced across the front lawn where we could see the faint shadow of Coach Genghis in this distance. "I can't predict what will happen tonight, so…if something goes wrong…and I hope nothing does, then there's something you should know."

"We'll be okay," Isadora said.

"I mean it," I said, seriously, "if something does go wrong, then here." I gave them a slip of paper.

"What is it?" Duncan asked as he studied the slip of paper.

"Do you remember how I told you about Monty Kensicle?" I asked, "Well, this is the address he gave me. He said if or when I came back, to look for him there. So if you are kidnapped, use the hidden ladder that I told you about to escape Olaf's house for a little bit and visit him. Tell him I sent you. Try to be careful, though. It would be a very bad thing if Olaf ever found out about Monty Kensicle or the ladder."

Duncan stuck the slip of paper in his pocket. "Thanks," he said. "I wish I had my notebook to write it down in there."

"It'll be fine," I said, "and small enough that Olaf won't notice it as easily."

"I'm sure we'll be okay, though," Isadora said, "it's very dark out here and I can barely see Coach Genghis."

"But darkness could be used to his advantage as much as it's used to ours," I said.

The Quagmire's were silent and I knew they agreed half-heartedly. We were approaching Coach Genghis now, who waited impatiently at the starting line of the luminous circle. His eyes narrowed when he saw us.

"Late again," he said, "how many times do I have to remind you that your program starts immediately after dinner."

"Well, they were serving something particularly good in the cafeteria this evening," I lied, "And we can't just run as soon as we've eaten, we'll get sick."

"You're not supposed to be here," he said, looking irritated that I'd disobeyed him, "I thought I said for you to go to Vice Principal Nero's concert."

"Well, maybe you should hire a better 'Special Messenger' because Carmelita Spats didn't tell me that," I lied again.

"Is that why you removed your wig too?" Coach Genghis said, "Did I not remind you enough to put it on?"

"Actually," I said, "I decided to leave it off tonight. It would be way too hot since we're running all these laps and who here doesn't already know who I am? Everyone else is at Nero's recital. Honestly, I'd rather participate in S.O.R.E. then spend six hours listening to Nero play his violin."

"I'll let you skip it tonight, I guess," Coach Genghis said, still not looking too happy, "but tomorrow night, you'd better be there or—"

"I understand," I interrupted, "now can we get started? The Baudelaire's have comprehensive exams in the morning."

"Oh, yes, of course," Coach Genghis said, glancing at the Quagmires disguised as the Baudelaires, "I wouldn't want you to miss it, I know just how important school can be. Now, on your marks, get set, go!"

So we started running, the fake Violet and Klaus towed the bag of flour along beside them as planned. The moon hung over our heads, casting a dim glow on the front lawn. We paced ourselves so we could stay close with each other and the Quagmires kept their heads down so Coach Genghis couldn't see their faces. I ran on the outside of the group so when we passed Coach Genghis, I would block his view of the fake Baudelaire's too. I wondered how the real Baudelaire's were doing and I hoped they were able to study and make staples at the same time, though, with Violet's invention, and the fact that they're all good students, I was sure they would be fine.

We ran until the sun began to rise in the east. I realized as soon as that if we stayed any longer, the Quagmires would be exposed. They understood that as well, so when we reached Coach Genghis I halted.

"Can we go now?" I asked, tiredly, "I'm so tired I think I'm going to collapse if I don't get a break. And the Baudelaires are tired too, especially since they've been doing this for ten…eleven days now. Also their exams start soon so we'd better hurry."

"Alright," Coach Genghis said, "but you stay, I want a word with you." He raised his voice so the 'Baudelaires' could hear. "You're done your exercises now have fun with your exams."

Duncan and Isadora took one look at Coach Genghis before they hurried away, clearly afraid of getting caught. Coach Genghis' gaze followed them and he stared at them oddly. In their hurry I realized they dropped the bag of flour that was supposed to be Sunny.

Coach Genghis went over to the sack. With one swift kick, he left a giant hole in the bag and flour poured out of it. He looked up at me with shiny eyes at my horrified expression.

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><p><strong>Review, Review, Review!<strong>

**Thanks to everyone who's been reviewing so far, they are all much appreciated! :)**


	11. VFD

**Here's a new chapter finally! It's also the last chapter of this part of my story...**

**Also Happy Fourth of July to all you Americans! (Though it's a little late since it's already midnight) :) And Happy Belated Canadian Independence Day! And whatever other holiday has occured over the past week! :)**

**Enjoy! R&R please!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 11: V.F.D.<strong>

"Take them," Coach Genghis ordered the white-faced women. They took the Quagmires off of his hands and tied them to two chairs. They struggled against their powdery hands but it was of no use.

We were in the cafeteria now. After Coach Genghis discovered the bag of flour he pretty much put the rest together on his own. The Quagmires tried to get away but Coach Genghis had chased them until he caught both of them. I had tried my best to free them, but Coach Genghis had grabbed me too.

"Let go of them," I said, firmly, stepping forward.

Coach Genghis' hand reached out and halted me by grabbing the back of my shirt.

"I thought I told you to be quiet," Coach Genghis said, "just be glad that I'm not tying you up or worse."

I pouted but remained silent.

"Keep them here," he told the white faced women, "I don't want them messing up my plan. The Baudelaire's can still end up in my clutches and I'll have their fortune." The white-faced women removed Violet's hair ribbon and Klaus' glasses, giving them to Coach Genghis.

"You'll never get their fortune," Duncan said, fiercely as he struggled against the white-faced women's grasp. "They're going to pass their exams and then we're going to reveal who you really are to Vice Principal Nero and help Jane."

Isadora nodded in agreement as she used all her effort to untie herself.

At Duncan's retort, Coach Genghis sneered at the Quagmires. "And who's going to listen to troublesome orphans who lie, steal, _and_ cheat?"

Duncan and Isadora glared angrily up at the villain but didn't say much else.

"And you," he growled, looking down at me. He leaned down so his face was level with mine. His eyes gleamed with that horrifying look he always wore when he was trying to be intimidating. I started to take a step back but Coach Genghis yanked on my arm, pulling me back. "You'd better not mess this up. If I hear one word out of your mouth while we're having our nice chat, you'll be very, _very_ sorry." He grabbed the wig from the white-faced women who had removed it from Isadora's head. "And this better be kept on the entire time." Roughly, he shoved the wig on my head. "Understand?"

I moved my head slightly to nod yes since I was too scared to do much else.

"Good." Coach Genghis turned for the cafeteria doors and started pulling me along with him

"One of you get the car ready so we can make our escape when we need to," Coach Genghis said to the white-faced women over his shoulder. "I'll return soon."

"What are you going to do with them?" I managed as Coach Genghis pulled me out of the cafeteria and onto the front lawn. I could spot the luminous circle; its glow wasn't nearly as bright now that the sun was above the horizon. But now that I stared at the circle it began to resemble a big zero. It reminded me of how useless I was to help the Baudelaire's now that we'd been caught.

Coach Genghis sneered. "I know all about the Quagmire fortune as much as I know about the Baudelaire fortune and your fortune. It wouldn't be a problem to snatch those twins. No one seems to have a use for them here, anyways."

"You can't take them," I said, "I won't let you. And they're not technically twins, they're triplets."

"_You can't take them. I won't let you_," he laughed mockingly. "What are you going to do about it? Did you not just understand our agreement?"

I was silent. We were approaching the Baudelaire's who were standing with Nero, Mr. Remora, and Mrs. Bass in the Orphans Shack.

Nero looked at us expectantly while the Baudelaires shared a look of extreme distress. I gave them an apologetic look.

"_Where_ are they?" Violet cried as we stepped inside. "What have you done with them?"

Coach Genghis appeared calm and nice, but his eyes were still shining brightly.

"They-" I started but Coach Genghis tightened his grip on my wrist so I knew to keep quiet.

"They're right here," Coach Genghis said, producing the hair ribbon and the glasses from his pocket. "I thought you might be worried about them, so I brought them over first thing in the morning."

"We don't mean _these_ them!" Klaus said, taking the items from Coach Genghis, "We mean _them_ them!

"I'm afraid I don't understand all those thems," Coach Genghis said. He shrugged at the adults innocently. "The orphans ran laps last night as apart of my S.O.R.E. program, but they had to dash off in the morning to take their exams. In their haste, Violet dropped her hair ribbon and Klaus dropped his glasses. But the baby-"

"You know very well that's not what happened," Violet interrupted. "Where are the Quagmire triplets? What have you done with our friends?"

I opened my mouth to speak again but was silenced yet again by Coach Genghis' restraining hand.

"_What have you done with our friends?_" Nero repeated mockingly, "Stop talking nonsense, orphans."

"I'm afraid it's not nonsense," Coach Genghis said. He shook his head. "As I was saying before the little girl interrupted me, the baby didn't dash off with the other orphans. She just sat there like a sack of flour. So, I walked over to her and gave her a kick to get her moving."

"Excellent idea!" Nero said, "What a wonderful story this is! And then what happened?"

"Well, at first it seemed like I had kicked a big hole in the baby," Coach Genghis said, "which seemed lucky, because Sunny was a terrible athlete and it would have been a blessing to put her out of her misery." I glowered at Genghis.

Nero applauded him. "I know just what you mean, Genghis," he said, "she's a terrible secretary as well."

"But she did all of that stapling," Mr. Remora protested.

"Shut up and let Genghis finish his story," Nero said.

"But when I looked down," Coach Genghis continued, "I saw that I hadn't kicked a hole in the baby at all. It had been a bag of flour! I'd been tricked!"

"That's terrible!" Nero cried.

"My daughter, Maya was there too," Coach Genghis went on, "she was just as surprised. She had been good friends with the orphans but they tricked her too."

"That's why she missed my concert," Nero said, "I'll excuse it this time since she was horribly mistreated."

I tried not to roll my eyes.

"So I ran after Violet and Klaus until I discovered they were those two other orphans—the twins."

"They're not twins!" Violet cried, "they're triplets!"

"They're triplets!" Nero mocked. "Don't be an idiot. Triplets are when four babies born at the same time, there are two Quagmire's."

I felt like clapping my hand to my forehead because he was so wrong.

"And these two Quagmire's were pretending to be the Baudelaire's to give them extra time to study."

"Extra time to study?" Nero said, grinning. "Hee Hee Hee! Why, that's cheating!"

"That's not cheating," Mrs. Bass said.

"Skipping gym class to study is cheating," Nero insisted.

"No, it's just good time management," Mr. Remora argued. "There's nothing wrong with athletics, but they shouldn't get in the way of schoolwork."

"Look, I'm the vice principal," Nero said, "I say the Baudelaires were cheating and therefore—hooray!—I can expel them. You two are merely teachers, so if you disagree with me, I can expel you, too."

The teachers looked at each other and shrugged. "You're the boss, Nero," Mr. Remora said, finally, "If you say they're expelled, they're expelled."

"Well, I say they're expelled," Nero said, "and Sunny loses her job too."

"Rantaw!" Sunny shrieked which was her way of saying, "I never wanted to work as a secretary, anyway!"

"We don't care about being expelled," Violet said, "We want to know what happened to our friends."

"Well, the Quagmire's had to be punished for their part in the cheating," Coach Genghis said, " so I brought them over to the cafeteria and put those two workers in charge of them. They'll be whisking eggs all day long."

"Very sensible," Nero agreed.

"That's all they're doing?" Klaus said, surprised. "Whisking eggs?"

He looked from Coach Genghis to me. I did my best to show him that it was not the case with my eyes and I shook my head slightly but not enough so Coach Genghis would notice.

"That's what I said," Genghis said. He leaned close to the Baudelaires. "Those two Quagmires will whisk and whisk until they are simply whisked away."

"You're a liar," Violet said. She had also noticed the expression on my face.

"Insulting your coach," Nero said. He shook his head so his pigtails moved. "Now you're doubly expelled."

"What's this?" said a voice from the doorway, "Doubly expelled?"

We turned to see Mr. Poe coughing into his white handkerchief. He was holding a large paper sack and looked busy yet perplexed. "What are all of you doing here?" he asked, "This doesn't look like a proper place to have a conversation. It's just an old shack."

"What are you doing here?" Nero asked, "We don't allow strangers to wander around Prufrock Preparatory School."

"Poe's the name," Mr. Poe said. He shook Nero's hand. "You must be Nero. We've talked on the phone. I received your telegram about the twenty-eight bags of candy and nine earrings with precious stones. My associates at Mulctuary Money Management advised me to deliver this to you in person, so here I am. But what's this about expelled?"

"These orphans you foisted on me," Nero said, "have proven to be terrible cheaters, and I'm forced to expel them."

"Cheaters?" Mr. Poe said, frowning at the three Baudelaires. "Violet, Klaus, and Sunn, I'm very disappointed in you. You promised me that you'd be excellent students."

"Well, actually only Violet and Klaus were students," Nero said, "Sunny was an administrative assistant, but she was terrible as well."

Mr. Poe looked surprised and his eyes widened. He paused to cough into his handkerchief. "An administrative assistant?" he repeated, "Why, Sunny's only a baby. She should be in preschool, not an office environment."

"Well, it doesn't matter now," Nero said. "They're all expelled. Give me that candy."

"We don't have time to argue about candy!" Klaus cried. "Count Olaf has done something terrible to our friends!"

"Count Olaf?" Mr. Poe said, as he handed Nero the paper sack. "Don't tell me he's found you here!"

"No, of course not," Nero said, "My advanced computer system has kept him away, of course. But the children have this bizarre notion that Coach Genghis is actually Olaf in disguise."

"Count Olaf?" Coach Genghis said, "Yes, I've heard of him. He's supposed to be the best actor in the whole world. I'm the best gym teacher in the whole world, so we couldn't possibly be the same person. Oh, and let me introduce you to my little orphan daughter, Maya Laurri."

Mr. Poe looked Coach Genghis up and down before turning his gaze on me.

"A pleasure to meet both of you," Mr. Poe said, "Children, I'm surprised at you. Even without an advanced computer system, you should be able to that this man is not Count Olaf. Count Olaf has only one eyebrow and this man is wearing a turban. And Olaf has a tattoo of an eye on his ankle, and this man is wearing expensive running shoes. They are quite handsome by the way."

"Oh, thank you," Coach Genghis said. "Unfortunately, thanks to these children, they have flour all over them, but I'm sure it'll wash off."

"Ugh," I said, stepping forward and out of Genghis' reach, "I am so tired of this. Mr. Poe, look!"

With one hand I pulled my wig off of my head and tossed it to the ground. I looked around at everyone. Genghis looked absolutely livid, Mr. Poe looked startled, the Baudelaires looked relieved, and the teachers just looked confused.

"It's me," I said, "Jane Rumary."

"O-of course," Mr. Poe managed, "what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be with Count Olaf?"

"I am with Count Olaf," I said, "he's standing right in this shack disguised as Coach Genghis."

"Who is this Jane Rumary?" Nero asked wrinkling his nose at me.

"She's a friend of the Baudelaires," Mr. Poe explained, "She's an orphan who I am in charge of as well but, recently she was kidnapped by Count Olaf. But how could this be, Jane? Coach Genghis looks nothing like Count Olaf."

"That's because—"

"Because I'm not Count Olaf," Coach Genghis interrupted stepping towards me. He put one hand on my shoulder, grasping it tighter than he needed to. "I admit, this orphan is in fact the Jane Rumary who was kidnapped by that _horrid_ man. When I found that article in the newspaper, my heart broke and I knew I had to do everything I could to help this little girl. So I took her away from that awful man. I brought her to live with me and to come to this school so I could make a nice living while Jane got to attend this great school. But I knew if anyone knew who she was, Count Olaf might find her again. I couldn't allow that so I changed her name and gave her this wig to disguise herself."

"Then why did Jane just say you were Count Olaf?" Klaus said, angrily.

"Because," Coach Genghis continued, "while she lived with Count Olaf, she went through awful things. More _horrible_ things than any of you could describe."

He looked at me with shiny, shiny eyes. I felt my heart beat faster and my hands shook.

"So, she's been going through some trauma," he went on with his lie. His arm wrapped around my shoulders and he pulled me closer, "sometimes she freaks out and thinks he's everywhere. But I can assure you that I am not Count Olaf. I would never hurt a child, especially, this orphan who I care about with all my heart." He leaned down, speaking so only I could hear. "Just wait until we're alone."

I shuddered.

"Well, I must say that was very generous of you," Mr. Poe said, "Though I would have preferred to be contacted beforehand. I was very worried."

"You're a liar!" Klaus cried, "You're Count Olaf and you're trying to take away Jane again!"

"How could I?" Coach Genghis said, looking appalled, "Would this Count Olaf save a poor orphan from a criminal like I did? I have no intention of kidnapping this orphan." He leaned down so the adults couldn't hear. "Yet." His eyes shone brightly as he stared at Klaus. He glowered back at Genghis.

"You're wearing a disguise!" Klaus shouted angrily. He reached out and grabbed my arm to pull me away from Coach Genghis. "You're wearing a turban to cover up your one eyebrow and you're wearing those running shoes to cover up your tattoo!" Klaus tried to pull me away again but Genghis gripped my shoulders tighter than what was necessary. I was afraid of doing much but staying where I was. I knew I'd already be in a lot of trouble for removing my wig like I did. I didn't see a very good way out of this. Just like always, the adults were unhelpful.

"For the last time, he's wearing a turban for religious reasons," Nero cried, exasperatedly, "And he can't take his shoes off because his feet will be smelly."

"Please Mr. Poe!" Klaus cried desperately, "Please make him take them off!"

"Now, Klaus," Mr. Poe said, "You have to learn to be accepting of other cultures. I'm sorry, Coach Genghis. The children aren't usually prejudiced."

"That's alright," Coach Genghis said. "I'm used to religious persecution."

"However, maybe we could at least have you remove your fine looking running shoes," Mr. Poe continued, "We can all bear a little smelliness if it's in the case of criminal justice."

"Smelly feet!" Mrs. Bass wrinkled her nose. "Ew, gross."

"I'm afraid I can't remove my running shoes," Coach Genghis said. His bony hands moved to my arms and tightened even more. He took a step toward the door, bringing me with him. I glanced up at his shiny eyes and knew this was it. "I need them."

"Need them?" Nero asked, "For what?"

"For running of course," Coach Genghis said, finally. He took one last step out of the shack and began sprinting out the door. He dragged me along with him and Klaus was forced to let go of my arm.

"Jane!" I heard him cry as he and his siblings stepped out of the shack.

"I'll be back for you Baudelaires!" Coach Genghis hollered over his shoulder. "But in the meantime I've got three little prisoners with two very large fortunes of their own."

Up ahead, the white-faced women were dragging the struggling Quagmires from the cafeteria and towards Olaf's car.

"Put them in the backseat!" Olaf hollered to them, "I'll drive! Hurry!"

The adults were staring in confusion at what was happening. The Baudelaires were staring in horror at me and the struggling Quagmire triplets.

"After them!" Violet cried and without hesitating, they broke into a run.

Mr. Poe was startled and started running after them. Then, Nero and the two other teachers began running after Mr. Poe.

I guess all those S.O.R.E. sessions paid off because they were gaining on us. Violet reached us quicker than I expected.

"Don't worry, Jane," she said, "we'll get you out of this."

She reached up with one hand to grab hold of Coach Genghis' turban. We looked up hoping it would make Coach Genghis stop but it was tied very simply. The turban fell into Violet's hands revealing Count Olaf's one eyebrow. It was shining with sweat, making me cringe. I struggled in his tight grip.

"Look!" Mr. Poe shouted, "Coach Genghis has only one eyebrow just like Count Olaf!"

Sunny reached us next.

"Grofa!" She shrieked. I wasn't sure what that one meant but I think it meant something along the lines of. "I'll save you!" Then she grabbed hold of Coach Genghis' shoes and bit a hole in his shoelaces so they came undone. I smiled hopefully at Sunny but Coach Genghis merely just stepped out of the shoes and began running barefoot, still dragging me along with him.

"Look!" Mr. Poe exclaimed again, "Coach Genghis has a tattoo of an eye on his ankle just like Count Olaf!"

"That's because he is Count Olaf!" Violet cried, exasperatedly. Sunny shrieked something too.

Klaus was silent though. He appeared to be using all of his energy to try and catch up to us. He was looking from me to the Quagmire triplets who were being shoved into the backseat. He kept running towards me though. He was closer now. I knew it would be a useless attempt for him to try and help me when Count Olaf seemed to be unstoppable. I looked around, trying to find a way to escape. My legs were growing very tired and it took all my strength to keep going. I felt as if I was going to collapse with exhaustion any minute now. My foot was falling asleep but as I stared down at my aching feet, still in my noisy shoes, I realized what I could do.

With all my strength I stomped down on Count Olaf's barefoot. It didn't have a huge affect but it was enough that Count Olaf fell to his knees. His grip on my arms loosened so that I could push his filthy hands off of me. I was stepping away when he caught my ankle with his hand.

"No, you don't," he growled. I struggled to get my foot out of his grasp. I was startled when Olaf cried out in pain. He let go of my ankle and I toppled over to the ground. Above me was Klaus who had a determined look on his face. He grabbed my hand and helped me up.

"Thanks. Let's go save the Quagmires now," I told him. I started for the car when Klaus stopped me.

"No," he said.

I gave him an odd look. Didn't he want to help our friends?

"I'll go," he said, "you go back to Violet and Sunny. I don't want you to risk getting taken away from us again."

He didn't pause to let me protest so I started back towards Violet and Sunny. Count Olaf had gotten up from the ground. He looked at me, his was jaw clenched and his eyes were filled with fury. He looked about ready to come after me again but then he turned and started for the car.

"Don't think you've gotten away from me for good!" he shouted back at me, "Mark my words, I will be back for you and your fortune. Just wait until I get my hands on you, you'll be sorry—very, very sorry."

I shivered but my attention was on Klaus as he attempted to pull open the car door. The white-faced woman, who had grabbed Isadora, was trying to pull the door close. The Quagmires were shouting something to him but I couldn't hear.

"We should help him," Violet said.

"We won't reach them in time," I pointed out, "look."

I pointed to Count Olaf who reached them now. He let out a roar and pushed Klaus to the ground near the Quagmire's notebooks. Then he kicked him in the stomach before snatching the notebooks and getting into the driver's seat.

I frowned and hurried over to his side. Violet and Sunny followed. As I predicted, we reached the car just as it was pulling out of the drive. The Quagmires had climbed over the white-faced women and were pounding on the windows. They shouted something inaudible. I helped Klaus to his feet and we chased after the car, hoping we could reach them.

It was a useless attempt and the car disappeared around the corner. Klaus stopped, he was the furthest ahead, and knelt down. He was crying softly into his hands.

I stopped when I reached him and knelt down beside him. I put a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," I said, softly. I swallowed hard against the lump in my throat. "We'll get them back."

"How can you know that?" Klaus said, his shoulders shook as he wept.

"Well, for one thing, I came back," I said, giving him a tired smile. Klaus smiled sadly in return and wiped his eyes with the back of his hands.

"That's true," he said, "I couldn't let Count Olaf hurt you after my siblings and I dragged you into this life."

"It's not all that bad," I said, "because if you think about it, if you never came along, I'd still be that lonely orphan girl. Now I have you, Violet, and Sunny. That's all that matters to me now. And no matter what happens to the Quagmires, they'll be okay."

"Really?" Klaus asked.

"They know all about Monty Kensicle," I said, quietly so only the two of us could hear, "so they'll be okay."

Klaus looked towards the place where the Quagmires had vanished. "While you were busy running laps last night," he said, "I glanced at your notebook." His cheeks turned a little pink and he looked at me uneasily. I nodded my approval. "Although, I'm still uncertain on whether to trust Monty Kensicle, I thought your journal entries were brilliant."

"Thanks," I said, smiling softly. "Maybe someday, when we're all safe, we can get them published. Then everyone will know all about Count Olaf and his treachery."

"And we can rescue the Quagmire triplets," Klaus added. He closed his eyes then. "Do you think we'll ever be safe from Count Olaf?"

I hesitated. I wanted to say yes. '_Yes we would be safe from Count Olaf'_ but what if I was wrong? What if we never escaped Count Olaf? So I just tightened my arm around his shoulder and gave him another small smile.

"I don't know for sure," I said, "but I hope, someday we'll be safe. Maybe not today or tomorrow or a month from now but…someday."

Violet and Sunny joined us then. Tears streaked their cheeks.

I put my other arm around Violet's shoulder and she held Sunny closely. We held each other and cried for our lost friends, but smiled for our reunion.

"What was Duncan shouting to you?" Violet asked Klaus after a moment.

"V.F.D." Klaus said, "but I don't know what it means."

"It's a good organization," I said, "that's all I know."

"Ceju," Sunny said which meant, "Then we'll have to find out what it is for sure."

We nodded knowing she was right. We needed to find out the secret of V.F.D. and whether it would eventually help us rescue our friends or put a stop to Count Olaf for good.

I stared out at the sun, which still sat low on the horizon. A soft breeze lifted up a few tendrils of my hair. As I watched the rising sun I was reminded that this was only the beginning and just because I'd escaped Olaf this time, it wasn't over yet. But I knew just like the sun, our misfortune would have to end and maybe V.F.D. would be just what we needed to make all of this end once and for all.

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><p><strong>So this is the end of this part but there will be more so make sure to check for my next story on my profile :)<strong>

**The next story will probably combine TEE, TVV, and THH since it might not be as long as these past stories. Have a nice summer everyone! I'll try to update as soon as i can! :)**


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